Phoenix Saga: Origin
by Lady Artimes Blaine
Summary: Artimes was living an ordinary life until one fateful night. She is swept up into a rift storm and dragged across realities, into a world where The Doctor is real. Now she must contend with jumping randomly throughout his timeline and trying to save as many lives as she can, but not all is as it appears to be. What is the Phoenix that haunts her every move and can she escape it?
1. TIL:Ch1: Rift Storm

Lady A: Hello Everyone! Apologies to those waiting on other stories but this story has been pestering me for a while and I was finally able to select the right episode to start off with. There will be occasional filler chapters in between each episode and every chapter will have its own title. We will be starting off in Season 2 with the Tenth Doctor and his lovely companion, Rose Tyler. Be forewarned, some things will not make sense and that's because they have not occurred yet for our time/space jumper yet. Just tuck the information away because it will come up in later chapters.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, only my original characters and the plot. Also inspiration for this idea is credited to one Danni Fielding. Check out The Time Child trilogy. It's awesome.

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Chapter One: Rift Storm

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Artimes impacted the ground hard, her entire body aching from not only the trip but the rather unexpected landing. Her entire body felt like it was burning from the inside out, but it was slowly fading away. It disappeared completely, leaving her in a state of exhaustion. She knew she was lying on her back because the asphalt was grating pretty roughly against her clothes. She was definitely going to have bruises later.

The last thing she remembered was being with her best friend, Mels. They had gone out to a karaoke bar and had a wild and crazy time like they did every Friday night. They had left a little late that evening but they only lived a few streets over so they didn't have to get cab or anything. They were halfway home when Mels stopped to check something on her phone, telling Artimes that she would catch up in two minutes. Of course, she listened to Mels as usual because more often than not she was right.

Artimes had entered an alleyway that seemed darker than normal and it had started to creep her out. She called back to her best mate to get her to hurry up, right before a golden energy appeared. It flowed over her and around her in waves. It was warm, accepting, and almost loving…like she had always known that energy. It made her happy, very happy, which was saying something considering she had been over the moon in the happiness department since she met and befriended Mels.

The warmth soon turned to burning as the energy wrapped tightly around her. She panicked and started screaming for her best friend. She was truly terrified out of her mind as she was ripped off her feet and flying backwards through what she assumed to be air. There had been a moment she had been close to losing consciousness and that was when it felt like she had been slammed into some sort of wall then forcibly drug through it. The pain of that action had been excruciating but the warmth had soothed it away right before she had landed on the ground.

Now she just felt completely and utterly spent and wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and sleep for the next three weeks. She tried to sit up but her body was not processing her mental commands and it frustrated her. The throbbing in her head was pounding harshly inside her skull and she just wanted to stop hurting. All thoughts ceased as her heart sped up when a warm hand cupped her cheek gently.

"Artimes. Artimes, can you hear me? Artimes, please wake up." The voice pleaded.

Her mind went haywire as she recognized the voice, but it didn't make much sense to her. The voice belonged to Billie Piper, the actress that played Rose Tyler in Doctor Who. Why was she here? How did she know her name? What the hell was going on?

Artimes groaned as she opened her eyes slightly, only to shut them again because of the intense brightness. She really hated sunlight at that moment.

"Billie?" She asked her voice quiet and a little hoarse from her rough ride.

"Billie? No, Artimes. It's me, it's Rose." The blonde answered helping her to sit up which proved to be more painful than Artimes bargained for.

Artimes finally got her eyes open and adjusted to the light. She took a good look at the blonde haired girl next to her and immediately recognized the outfit from _The Idiot's Lantern_, but that was early in the series, wasn't it? She was wearing the pink dress and the tight jean jacket and even had those ridiculous sunglasses and pink shoes.

Artimes's head felt like it was about to explode as she stood up quickly, staggering a bit until Rose wrapped her arms around her waist to hold her steady. She couldn't be, could she? What was the likelihood of her being transported to a parallel universe where Doctor Who was real?

"Rose as in Rose Tyler, companion to the Doctor?" Artimes asked seeking confirmation on the incredibly outlandish and preposterous theory rolling around her still throbbing head.

"Artimes, why are you acting like we have never met before?" Rose countered looking confused and a little bit scared.

They had met before? How did that happen if they are only meeting just now? Artimes's mind flickered briefly to a few fan fictions she had read about an original character that jumped through time and space by various means and she wondered if that was really possible.

"Because we haven't. This is the first time I've met you or anything related to the Doctor. I'm not even sure how I got here in the first place, looked like a rift storm or something. Anyways, one second I'm with my best mate, Mels, and the next I'm shooting through the air surrounded by a gold light and then I woke up here...with you." Artimes answered finally able to stand up properly without falling over.

Artimes frowned slightly as her hair fell into her face. She grasped a thick lock and examined it closely. It was longer, shinier, and very, very red. In her universe, she was a dark blonde and she meant a very dark blonde; gave a whole new meaning to the term 'dirty' blonde. Now here in this reality, she had dark crimson hair. Did her eyes change color too? Did she grow a tail? Maybe she had pointed ears?

"Oh my God, this is your first jump! No wonder you're so out of it!" Rose exclaimed as the red head released her hair and tucked it behind her ears.

Nope, no pointy ears. Shame, she kinda liked the idea of being a Vulcan.

"Wait, what? What do you mean my first jump? What does that mean?" Artimes asked crossing her arms and staring pointedly at the blonde.

"The Doctor said you were connected to the heart of the Tardis and it makes you jump around his timeline." Rose summarized.

So she was connected to the Time Vortex…well it could explain the changes in her appearance which included the extra six inches in height, making her now 5'9" as opposed to her measly 5'3". Rose said she was connected to the Doctor's timeline, so that meant she would never really be alone and she would have access to food, clothing, and bedding if the Old Girl would allow her.

Artimes was broken out of her inner musings as her face scrunched up in pain, the throbbing intensifying.

"Does it always hurt this much?" She asked rubbing her head with her left hand.

"You told me that your early days were rough, but that the more you jump, the less painful it will become until there is no pain at all." The blonde answered.

Artimes sighed heavily. She might as well get things moving, because they were on a bit of a timetable.

"Chavtastic. Now off to cause mischief and mayhem." Artimes commented grinning like a mad woman.

"You never change, do you? Always trying to find trouble." Rose replied smiling at the red head in amusement.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, my beautiful and brilliant Rose." Artimes countered smirking.

The ginger woman dragged her blonde companion out to the main road, the pair laughing like idiots.

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Lady A: There you have it. Chapter 1 of Origin is complete. Be on the lookout for Chapter 2: Heart to Heart, for it will be arriving soon. Leave tons of reviews! Later cats!


	2. TIL:Ch2: Heart to Heart

Lady A: Hello everyone and welcome back to Phoenix Saga: Origin! So Artimes has arrived in the DW verse but where is the Doctor? Moreover, how will she fare in her first alien encounter? Let's find out what she has in mind! On with the show!

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Chapter Two: Heart to Heart

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Artimes finally got the throbbing in her aching mind to dim down and she was gradually getting used to the fatigue plaguing her body. Jumping through time and space was certainly not a picnic and Rose said she did it often. She was still having difficulties wrapping her head around the fact that she was truly no longer in her own universe, that she had been ripped away from her best friend, and was strolling next to Rose Tyler of all people. It was definitely a hard pill to swallow.

Worse still, she had yet to meet the Doctor and she was nervous, worried, and a tiny bit terrified. She had read loads of fan fiction where the Doctor had never liked the space/time jumping original character and she was honestly worried that he hated her. She wouldn't be able to bear it if her favorite Doctor didn't like or trust her. He was the only constancy in this universe and the only thing she actually knew about in this reality.

"Rose, how would you describe my relationship with the Doctor?" Artimes asked going with the direct approach just like her best mate had taught her to do.

Her heart ached a bit when she thought about her best and only friend. Mels didn't even know what happened to her and she knew that she would never give up looking for her either. She would never find the now red head and it made her very sad.

"At first, he was suspicious of you because you honestly didn't make sense to him and he did get highly annoyed with you popped out of nowhere. Then you kept trying to help others, no matter how much pain it put you through and he started changing towards you. God, you saved my life more times than I can count. I'm not sure I should be telling you all this. Timelines and all." Rose answered fiddling with the frilly skirt of her dress nervously.

"What about now? How does he feel about me now?" The red head asked her plea shining in her eyes.

Rose smiled softly. She had never seen Artimes so worried about the Doctor's approval before. Hell, she usually poked, prodded, teased, shouted, yelled, or argued with him mercilessly. She took no crap from the Doctor and always made certain to keep him in line when he went too far. Rose decided to humor her since this was her first jump and she was obviously worried about what the Doctor thought of her.

"You're good friends, best friends really. He worries about you all the time and always goes out of his way to impress you. He loves seeing you smile and laugh and he always, always listens to you. In fact, you're the only person I know who can convince him to do just about anything." The blonde answered grinning as the red head relaxed substantially, her tension melting away into nothingness.

Artimes gave her new found friend a small smile of appreciation and gratitude.

"What about us? What kind of friendship do we have? I mean we're obviously close, yeah?" The red head commented curiosity blazing in her eyes.

Rose shook her head with a laugh. Now that was more like the Artimes she knew.

"We're kinda like sisters." She replied trying to make her smile go down and failing miserably.

Having Artimes by her side, always made Rose feel important, wanted, and quite often empowered, like she could take on anything.

"Kinda?" The red head echoed a knowing look in her eyes and a smirk on her lips.

Rose laughed happily.

"Okay, we are sisters. By the way, how old are you now?" The blonde asked.

"Such a pertinent question so early in the conversation…how promising." Artimes answered coyly and Rose gave her a pointed look, "I'm twenty five."

"Oh my God, you're six years older than I am!" Rose moaned.

Artimes scowled at her friend.

"Blimey, make me feel old, why don't you?" The red head countered with a mock hurt expression on her face.

The pair erupted into a long fit of laughter. It took them several minutes to calm themselves and their breathing before continuing their conversation.

"Right, so where you headed before I so rudely dropped in unannounced?" Artimes asked pretty certain of the answer.

She was about ninety percent certain of where exactly she was in the episode; however, this also meant that she had to be very careful. Rose would be getting her first meeting with the Wire and the red head had to stop that from happening. If the blonde got hurt then the Doctor would go ballistic and he really needed to stay calm in this situation. Anger was the shortest route to a grave error.

"Just over to a shop. Do a little browsing." Rose answered innocently.

Bingo, Rose was heading to Magpie's which meant Artimes could save Rose.

"Uh huh and this shop would happen by chance to be selling televisions at an incredibly cheap rate for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and you discovered something very odd about a certain TV at the Connolly home which came from a certain shop right here on Florizel Street. The owner of said shop is an electrician by the name of Magpie, yes?" Artimes summarized smirking.

You can only call yourself a Whovian when you can summarize an episode into a single paragraph and maybe perhaps own your own sonic screwdriver, which she did.

"Can't hide anything from you, so come on. We have an interrogation to perform." Rose replied dragging the red head in the direction of the store.

"Sorry in advance." Artimes stated suddenly causing Rose to stop and look back at her.

"You're going to do something incredibly stupid and reckless when we get in there, aren't you?" The blonde asked knowingly.

Apparently, Artimes had done similar things in the past or will do; bloody tenses.

"Yep." The red head answered exaggerating the 'p' so it popped.

"Maybe we shouldn't go. The Doctor would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you…especially since this is your first jump." Rose suggested obviously worried.

"We have to go. If we don't then it will take the Doctor too long to figure it out on his own and we're on a bit of a time limit here. In order to save countless lives, we have to be the catalyst, Rose." Artimes answered giving the blonde a sad but knowing look.

Rose bit her bottom lip, wanting to argue with the red head and just drag her back to the Tardis, but if she said they were needed in order to save people than she couldn't turn her back on them. She knew that Artimes would go off on her own and put herself into danger if it meant helping the Doctor in doing what needed to be done. Rose couldn't let her do it alone. The blonde nodded in agreement and the pair headed towards Magpie's shop.

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Lady A: There you have it. Chapter 2 of Origin is complete! Be on the lookout for Chapter 3: Facing Fear and will most likely be arriving some time tomorrow. Leave tons of reviews and a big thank you for the two people who reviewed, faved and followed my story on the very first chapter! I love you guys! Later cats!


	3. TIL:Ch3: Facing Fear

Lady A: Hey everybody! Welcome back to Origin! This chapter is dedicated to the 7 people who are following this story, much love to you, you amazing people! Now let's see how the crimson haired time jumper handles Magpie and The Wire! On with the show!

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Chapter Three: Facing Fear

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The girls entered the shop and Artimes's eyes immediately darted around the room, assessing the new location. She glanced towards the display of televisions knowing that she'll have to keep an eye out for the Wire. Her eyes finally flickered to Magpie, who was adjusting a TV set on the counter. He glanced up nervously at them, his eyes barely containing his pain and fear.

"Oh…I…I'm sorry, ladies. I'm afraid you're too late. I was just about to lock the door." Magpie stated trying to convince them to leave.

Artimes felt truly sorry for the poor man. The electrical creature known as The Wire, was slowly torturing him to within an inch of his sanity. He didn't deserve that, no living thing did and she wanted to save him, but simply didn't know how.

"Yeah? Well, I wanna buy a telly." Rose piped up.

"Come back tomorrow, please." Magpie tried again.

The red head's heart broke hearing his underlying plea. He didn't want them to get hurt and he was trying to save them, but this had to be done. It was the only way to get the Doctor's butt in gear and save the day. He could be so damn slow at times.

"You'll be closed, won't you?" Artimes asked speaking for the first time and pretending to browse the selection of televisions on display.

Magpie glanced over at her, confusion etched on his face.

"What?" He asked.

"For the big day? The coronation." The red head clarified giving the electrician a sad but knowing look.

Magpie must have understood her expression because he tried to usher the girls out the front door, but they stayed put.

"Yes, yes, of course. The big day. I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please go." He replied practically begging, giving the red head an imploring look pleading with her to listen and leave while they still could.

Artimes shook her head slightly, an apologetic and remorseful look in her eyes.

"Seems to me half of London's got a television, since you've practically giving them away." Rose continued unaware of the silent conversation going on between her friend and the electrician.

Artimes had a knot in her stomach and she was feeling very ill. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and her palms were sweating. She'd admit it, she was scared out her mind because she knew what was coming and it wasn't a walk in the park. She knew it was going to hurt, but she didn't have any other choice. She needed to save Rose. She moved closer to the blonde, making certain that she was in the best possible place to save her friend.

"I have my reasons." Magpie answered solemnly.

"And what are they?" Rose asked hurriedly.

One of the televisions turned itself on, immediately drawing Artimes's attention to the screen. Her stomach felt like it had fallen out as she stared at the Wire.

"Hungry! Hungry!" She declared making Artimes flinch slightly.

"What's that?!" Rose demanded shocked by the sudden interruption.

Artimes couldn't take it anymore, time to speed things up a bit.

"No offense, Rose, because I know you're on a roll with this whole interrogation thing, but lets skip the song and dance routine and get straight to the point, shall we? We know you're selling your tellys cheap so that the countless people who buy them and watch the coronation tomorrow will become food for that thing, who is currently using the face of a woman from a television program to not garner attention to itself," Artimes interjected jerking her thumb in the direction of the Wire as she addressed the stunned electrician, "I know you didn't want to hurt anyone, but that thing took your face, it hurt you, and is still hurting you. It's the reason why you wanted us to leave so that we wouldn't suffer the same fate. All you want is peace and I understand that better than anyone, so please remember that none of this is your fault. It falls on the Wire, not you."

Magpie looked close to tears as he locked the door and she nodded her head in understanding. Rose was too busy staring at the screen and shocked by her friend's words, not quite believing them.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He whispered his sorrow manifest.

"I know." Artimes replied turning her attention to the blasted electrical creature causing all the trouble.

"Such pretty little things and the ginger one is so clever." The Wire observed.

"Oh my God, are you talking to us?" Rose asked completely astounded.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, little ones. Unreasonably chilly for the time of year, don't you think?" The wire commented smiling slightly.

Rose stared at the screen, a wide variety of emotions flitting across her face. Artimes, despite the fear trying to paralyze her, stood ready to get Rose out of the way.

"What are you?" The blonde asked breathlessly.

"I'm the Wire and I'm hungrrrrrryyyyy!" She yelled as she bore her teeth.

Purplish pink bolts of electricity shot out of the screen and latched on to Rose's face. For moment, Artimes was completely frozen, her eyes widening as the reality sunk in…_monsters were real_.

"Help me!" The blonde cried panicking.

Artimes broke free from her paralysis and darted towards the blonde, pushing her roughly away from the Wire's assault. Rose landed on the floor with a loud smack and blacked out as the creature turned her focus on the struggling red head.

"Magpie, leave her…with me…please." Artimes begged.

The shop owner nodded his head, willing to do what the ginger woman wanted. The red head screamed in pain as her very essence was stolen by the Wire. Her last thought was that she had to save Rose.

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Lady A: Bit of a shorty chapter but trust me, the chapters start getting longer for some reason. *frowns then shrugs* Anyways, there you have it, Chapter 3: Facing Fear is over and done. Meaning it is now Review Time! Leave tons of reviews and make this author so ecstatic that she fills up a second notebook for this story because let's face, I already have one completely filled up already and it's only 2 episodes! See you soon, you lovely people!


	4. TIL:Ch4: Breaking Hearts

Lady A: Welcome back everyone! Apologies for the last scene of the previous chapter, but there is only so many ways to go about it without totally mucking it up. Anyways, what will happen now that Artimes has had her face stolen by the Wire? How will the Doctor react when Rose tells him what's really going on? Let's find out, shall we? On with the show!

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Chapter Four: Breaking Hearts

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The Doctor and Detective Inspector Bishop had finally struck an accord and were working together to find out what was happening. They were currently standing by a large map on a stand in the D.I.'s office.

"We started finding them about a month ago. Persons left sans visage. Heads just…blank." The inspector explained still disbelieving even after everything he had seen.

The Doctor frowned; he needed more information if he was going to put a stop to this. He wished Artimes was here. She always knew the right thing to say or pointed out something that was completely obvious to her and oblivious to him.

"Is there any sort of pattern?" The Doctor asked examining a file on a nearby desk.

The Timelord was having trouble keeping his mind on task. For the last hour, he had a feeling that he was meant to be somewhere else…like something was calling to him. This odd feeling was making him anxious. He needed to deal with this quickly so he could investigate what it meant.

"Yes, spreading out from North London. All over the city. Men, women, kids, grannies…the only real lead is there's been quite a large number in…" The inspector answered.

"Florizel Street." The Doctor finished.

There was a knocking at the door to the office causing both men to look up.

"Found another one, sir. This was one accompanied by a semi-conscious girl. She's waiting outside." A policeman informed bringing in a figure covered by a blanket.

The Doctor frowned slightly. The figure was a woman, going by height and build, but she was wearing blue jeans and a pair of converse. Those clothes were incredibly out of place for the time period he was in and his gut twisted slightly, his apprehension rising.

"Oh…er…good man, Crabtree. Here we are, Doctor. Take a good look. See what you can deduce." The D.I. stated as the Doctor dropped the files and moved closer.

The policeman uncovered the figure and the Doctor's hearts stopped. He'd recognize that shade of hair anywhere. Standing before him was the faceless body of his best friend, Artimes. He could only assume that she jumped here after he and Rose had split up.

"Artimes." He whispered his hearts aching painfully.

He had promised that he would keep her safe, that he would always be there and he failed her…again. How many times was he going to break his word and fail to protect her?

"Do you know her?" Bishop asked curious.

"Know her? She's…" The Doctor trailed off unable to formulate words at that moment.

He closed the distance between himself and the red head and stared into her featureless face. His anger began to rise and the need for justice made itself known, burning deep within him.

"What of the blonde, sir?" The policeman asked.

Blonde? It must be Rose. Rose would never leave Artimes on her own. Those two were as thick as thieves and only separated by necessity or if they were in the Tardis.

"Bring her now." The Doctor ordered his tone harsh and demanding from his need to make certain his other companion was safe.

A few moments later, Rose rushed in crying. The Doctor embraced her tightly with one arm, but couldn't tear his eyes away from the ginger woman. A passing comment uttered by the inspector caught his attention and fueled the rage that was slowly building inside of him.

"They did what?" The Doctor asked coldly.

Rose clung to his left arm, her hand holding his firmly. She squeezed it slightly, offering support as best she could.

"I'm sorry?" Bishop asked confused.

"They left her where?" The Doctor asked forcing himself to calm down slightly.

"Just…in the street." The inspector answered.

"In the street. They left her in the street. They took her face and just chucked her out and left her in the street. And as a result, that makes things…simple. Very, very simple. Do you know why?" The Doctor asked ripping his gaze away from his faceless friend, taking off his glasses, and turning to the two men.

"No…" Bishop started unsure of where this was going and shooting a concerned glance towards the blonde that was still holding on to the Doctor for dear life.

"Because now, Detective Inspector Bishop, there is no power on this Earth that can stop me! Come on!" The Timelord shouted dragging Rose from the office.

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The Doctor, D.I. Bishop, and Rose had quite the altercation outside the Connolly home, resulting in Mr. Connolly being locked out of his home by his irate wife and Tommy following the trio.

"Doctor, I have to tell you something." Rose started her voice quiet.

"Not now, Rose." The Doctor replied leading the group in the direction of Magpie's shop.

"Doctor, she saved me. I was the one that was being attacked and she pushed me out of the way." Rose continued ignoring his protest entirely.

The Timelord was flooded with even more guilt. He had made Artimes swear to look after Rose and keep his companions from harm. She always kept that promise, no matter how much it hurt her to do so.

"There's one more thing. She didn't recognize me at first. Doctor, this is her first jump." Rose finished hurriedly.

The Doctor came to a complete stop and stared at Rose in shock and disbelief. Artimes never told him what her first jump was. She kept saying 'Spoilers' every time he asked. She adamantly refused to tell him anything, leaving him with the line 'It's a story that cannot be told, it must be lived.'

Artimes was right at the beginning of her new life and she still chose to save Rose. It made him so angry at his previous regeneration for doubting her sincerity and kindness. Artimes was exactly what he had always thought her to be, a completely impossible human being with an exceptionally pure heart. He had to save her, he needed to save her…he had to make things right.

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Lady A: Voila! The Doctor has made his appearance! What will he do to save the time/space jumper? Can he save her? Will she forgive him? So many things are coming and you'll just have to wait and see in Chapter 5: Tears Never Shed! Leave a review and stay tuned!


	5. TIL:Ch5: Tears Never Shed

Lady A: Sorry for the wait, I got distracted by another Doctor Who story. Read through 16 chapters and 138k words like it was nothing. Still, it was a good story, frightening, but good. Brief recap: Artimes has had her face stolen by the Wire. The Doctor has found out that this was her first jump in his timeline and that she had saved Rose's life. Now let's find out what happens when he confronts Magpie and the Wire! On with the show!

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Chapter Five: Tears Never Shed

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The group arrived at their destination and Rose gasped in astonishment as the Doctor smashed through the glass of the shop's front door, completely disregarding his usual method of sonicking the lock. She knew the Doctor would be furious. The Timelord cared deeply for the kind hearted ginger woman. Rose was certain that he would destroy the universe if it meant keeping her from harm.

Artimes had done so much for them, constantly risking her life to save the blonde and countless others. Her courageous nobility drove the Doctor up the wall and he felt such horrible guilt because of the promise he made Artimes make to keep his companions safe. Rose had been there when his ninth self swore a vow to always be there for the time/space jumper. He took that oath very seriously and when she was in danger, there really was nothing that could stop the fury of the Timelord.

The Doctor bolted into the shop and slammed his hand repeatedly on the service bell, yelling for Magpie to reveal himself. Rose stilled his hand and he glanced at her briefly, calming for a moment. He moved away from her and started sifting through the drawers behind the counter. He frowned as he came across a device that appeared to be a mixture of a portable radio and a television.

"Oh hello…this isn't right. This is very much not right." The Timelord commented before licking it, much to the surprise of the other three occupants of the room, "Tastes like iron…Bakelite."

He set it down on the counter and pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

"Put together with human hands, yes, but the design itself…" He continued scanning it with his screwdriver, "Oh beautiful work. That is so simple."

"That's incredible. It's like a television but portable. A portable television!" The D.I. stated in awe and disbelief.

The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver, pointing it around the room making the televisions turn on to static.

"It's not the only power source in the room." He murmured.

The screwdriver changed pitch and the static gradually faded away. On every screen was a different face, the faces the Wire had stolen from innocent people. All of them showed various degrees of terror while mouthing silent pleas for help. Tommy called out for his Gran, staring horrified at the screen containing his Gran's face.

"Doctor, there." Rose said pointing to one of the lower screens.

The Doctor saw the screen containing Artimes's face. He knelt down in front of the television, watching her mouth the same two words over and over again, 'Save Rose.' His sorrow was drowning him, knowing he had failed her yet again, but then something caught his attention.

He saw that her eyes were shimmering with tears, tears that could never be shed. Moreover, he saw the level of fear in her eyes; she was scared, so unbelievably scared. Artimes rarely showed her fear, in fact, she did her best to stay calm no matter how dangerous the situation was and seeing her like this, so completely and utterly terrified, it was tearing him apart inside.

"I'm on my way." He whispered his tone caught between sorrow and rage.

Magpie entered the shop from the back office, drawing everyone's attention almost instantaneously.

"What do you think you're doing?" The shop owner asked.

The Doctor stood up and rounded on the man, his eyes dangerously close to murderous. The fury of a Timelord was something never to be witnessed and the Doctor was a hair's breadth from doing just that.

"I want my friend restored and I think that's beyond a little backstreet electrician so tell me, who's really in charge here?" The Doctor snapped his tone glacial from his rage.

Magpie flinched at the Timelord's anger and actually backed up a step in fear.

"Yoo-hoo! I think that must be me." The Wire stated causing the Doctor to turn back to the televisions in surprise, "Ooh, this one's smart as paint. Far more clever than the ginger girl...though perhaps not as imaginative."

"Doctor, Artimes said that she's copying some person from a telly program, feeding off the people, and that it has something to do with the coronation." Rose piped up barely remembering what the red head had said before.

"Of course, an electrical creature using the image of another to conceal itself and feeding off the electrical energy of the brain but why?" The Doctor demanded silently thanking his best friend's foreknowledge.

Artimes was trying to give him the information he needed to figure out what the creature wanted and stop it from happening, but what did that have to do with the coronation? His mind was simply too caught up with the fact that this thing had hurt his Artimes and had attempted to hurt Rose too. He couldn't seem to think straight.

"What…what are you?" Tommy asked scared out of his mind as any sane person would be.

"I'm the Wire and I will gobble you up, pretty boy…every last morsel. And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body which my fellow kind denied me." The Wire answered smirking.

Well that answered why, but he still didn't understand the mechanics of her plan. How would she get her physical form back by feeding off of _electrical_ energy?

"So your own kind tried to stop you?" The Doctor surmised hoping she would reveal her plan herself and save him the effort.

"They executed me, but I escaped in this form and fled across the stars." The Wire replied not minding his questions.

"And now you're trapped in the television." The Doctor concluded.

"Not for much longer." The Wire responded her smirk dropping.

So her plan was being put into action sooner rather later. Come on…Think!

"Is that what got my Gran?" Tommy asked.

The Timelord's anger roared to life once more, making his mind focus on the atrocities this creature had caused.

"Yes, Tommy. It gorges itself like a great overfed pig! Taking people's faces, their very essences and it stuffs itself!" The Doctor spat his eyes blazing in rage.

His eyes flickered to the screen containing the red head's face. His brows furrowed slightly when he noticed she was no longer mouthing 'Save Rose', but the words 'Calm Down.' She was right. He was letting his anger drive him and that led to nothing but death and destruction. With great effort he reigned in his anger and actually wondered if Artimes was aware of what was happening here.

"And you let her do it, Magpie." Bishop stated glaring at the frightened electrician.

The Doctor's eyes flickered to the shop owner. He really looked at him and saw how scared the man was. Magpie held the eyes of a man who had been tortured for too long; someone who had seen and felt terrible things.

"I had to! The ginger girl…she understood…she said it wasn't my fault…she knew why I had to! The Wire, she allowed me my face! She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation!" Magpie exclaimed distraught and shooting a short but extremely remorseful and sorrowful glance at the screen containing Artimes's face.

The pieces started falling into place. Magpie was nothing more than a pawn, a tortured soul longing for the peace that had been denied to him. Artimes had seen it, responded to it, and had shown kindness to the electrician, despite knowing what he had done and when no one else would have thought to in the first place. She really was completely impossible and that was made her his best friend.

"What does that mean?" Tommy asked breaking through the Doctor's thoughts.

"Doctor, the coronation!" Rose cried out picking up on what he hadn't.

"Just like Artimes said," The Doctor started realization dawning on his face, "For the first time in history, millions gathered around a television set, but you're not strong enough yet, are you? You can't do it all from here. That's why you need this!"

He brought the portable television into view.

"You need something more powerful! This will turn a big transmitter into a big receiver!" He continued as his mind worked out the puzzle bit by bit.

"What a clever thing you are, but why fret about it? Why not just relax? Kick off your shoes and enjoy the coronation. Believe me, you'll be _glued_ to the screen." The Wire countered as reddish bolts of electricity attached to all four of their faces simultaneously.

"Doctor!" Bishop, Tommy and Rose called out together.

"Hungry! Hungry! The Wire is hungry! Ah! This one is tasty. Oh! I'll have lashings of him! Delicious! Ah!" The Wire exclaimed feasting on their essences with an almost euphoric delight.

* * *

Lady A: And yes, I am that bad. Leave a review about how much you hate cliff hangers. Coming Soon: Chapter 6: Armed and Clever! Stay tuned! *grins maniacally*


	6. TIL:Ch6: Armed and Clever

Lady A: Hello everyone and welcome back to Phoenix Saga: Origin! Last time: The Doctor confronted Magpie, his emotions raging beyond belief, but Artimes somehow calmed him and now he and the others are being attacked by the Wire! How will the Doctor and his allies escape? And why is the Doctor compelled to listen to Artimes without question or hesitation? Let's find out, shall we? On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Six: Armed and Clever

* * *

The four people being attacked by the Wire were screaming in pain and the Doctor was at a loss as to what to do. The pain in his mind was so intense that it prevented him from thinking clearly. A presence touched his mind, flooding his entire being with warmth. This unusual feeling felt so familiar to him…like he had known it his entire life, but what was it?

'Theta, use your sonic screwdriver.' Artimes's voice whispered in his mind.

He understood what he was feeling. He was feeling the warmth associated with his Artz, her heart and her soul. He trusted her more than words could ever express. With great effort, he raised the screwdriver which was luckily still in his right hand.

"Armed! He's armed and clever! The ginger girl is assisting him…too much! Withdraw! Must separate them! Withdraw!" The Wire exclaimed in panic.

She severed the connection and the warmth of Artimes's mind vanished, leaving him empty and cold. The sudden disconnection was too much for his mind to process. All four of them fell to the floor unconscious.

The Doctor woke up several minutes later and found the Detective Inspector without a face. He quickly checked on Rose and Tommy, both were fine. He glanced back at the screen that had been holding Artimes's face, only to discover that it was gone. The other faces were still there but his Artz was gone. He quickly roused Tommy and Rose and the trio pulled themselves off the floor.

"Where's Magpie?" The Doctor asked his fear and worry rising.

They ran outside the shop and discovered that the shop owner and his vehicle were nowhere to be seen. Why? Why would the Wire take Artimes's essence with her and leave the others behind? His eyes widened slightly as he remembered what the Wire had said. Artimes had been assisting him and when their minds were linked together, it must have started to overpower the electrical creature. She didn't want to take the chance that they would link again and possibly destroy her.

"We don't even know where to start looking. It's too late." Tommy stated sounding utterly defeated and hopeless.

"It's never too late, as a wise person once said. Kylie, I think…even Artimes said it a time or two. The Wire's got a big plan…so it'll need…Yes, yes, yes, it's got to harness half the population…millions and millions of people…and where are we? The Doctor rambled trying to get his bearings.

"Muswell Hill." Tommy replied.

"Oh! Alexandra Palace!" Rose exclaimed remembering her schooling.

The Doctor's face lit up. That's why he had Rose with him…brilliant!

"Biggest TV transmitter in North London! Oh! That's why they chose this place! Tommy, Rose?!" The Doctor called rushing back inside.

They followed him back inside.

"What are you doing?" Tommy asked bewildered.

"We're going shopping!" The Doctor answered grabbing supplies.

* * *

Tommy, Rose, and the Doctor ran towards Alexandra Palace, assembling some sort of device along the way. Tommy looked up at the pylon and spotted Magpie.

"There!" He yelled pointing.

"Come on." The Doctor urged and broke out in a faster run.

Rose was pretty damn close to chucking the heels she wore and swearing off heels period. They were not suitable footwear for this. An official tried to stop their progression.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where do you think…" The official started.

The Doctor flashed him the psychic paper, barely slowing down.

"Oh sorry sir, milady! Shouldn't you two be at the coronation?" The official called after them.

"They're saving us seats." The Doctor replied.

The trio rounded a corner.

"Who did he think you were?" Tommy asked confused.

The Timelord glanced down at the psychic paper briefly.

"The king and crown princess of Belgium, apparently." He answered.

"Princess? I like that. Does that mean Artimes is your queen?" Rose commented smirking at him.

"Humans, of all times to be asking personal questions!" He countered but smiled nonetheless.

* * *

After some last few adjustments to the device he had built and a simple command to the two to keep that machine functioning at all costs, the Doctor began his ascent up the pylon. He could hear the Wire yelling something about feasting.

"It's too late! It's too late for all of us!" Magpie yelled his tone panicked and horrified.

"I shall consume you…Doctor and I will take great pleasure in destroying your ginger haired friend." The Wire stated blasting the Doctor in the face with a red light and he cried out, barely holding on to the pylon.

He couldn't let her hurt Artimes anymore. He had to stop her, he had to save his Artz.

"I won't let you do this, Magpie!" The Doctor yelled beginning to climb again.

"Help me, Doctor! It burns! It took my face, my soul!" Magpie pleaded his face contorting in pain.

"You cannot stop the Wire. Soon I shall become manifest and the girl will be my victory feast!" The Wire interjected blasting the Doctor again.

"No more of this! You promised me peace!" Magpie cried.

"And peace you shall have." The Wire replied maliciously.

A red beam of light shot towards Magpie, causing the Doctor's eyes to widen in horror, but it was suddenly deflected by a barrier of golden energy emanating from the portable television. It's was his Artz! She was protecting the electrician! His mind was once again encompassed in the warmth of his best friend and he felt her clearly in his mind, an almost peaceful expression settling onto his face. It had been too long since he had felt the presence of another in his mind and it felt right having her there.

'I won't let you kill him! Get away, Magpie! Run!.' Artimes's voice cried out.

The electrician must have heard her because he did as she commanded and scrambled down the pylon, free from the Wire's influence. The Doctor began to panic when he felt how hard it was for her to maintain the barrier. Her strength was fading and she was in so much pain. The golden energy protected Magpie until he was safe before suddenly snapping back into the portable television. Artimes's presence was fading from his mind and he desperately tried to hold onto her.

'You can do it, Theta. I believe in you.' She whispered the connection finally severing, leaving him with that same empty feeling from before.

He shook it off and climbed up to where the Wire was. He tried desperately to touch the television but was zapped by red sparks on his hand.

"Been burning the candle at both ends? You've overextended yourself, missus. You shouldn't have angered my Artz. She won't allow innocent people to die and it's cost you." The Doctor stated as he picked up the TV.

"You hold such confidence in her, Doctor, but she is nothing more than a scared little girl. Did you think that she would forgive you for your actions today? How very touching? Sentimental old fool." The Wire taunted.

He was zapped in the foot and couldn't help but smirk, ignoring the Wire's comments.

"Rubber Soles! Swear by them!" He exclaimed as he inserted a switch into the portable television.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he realized nothing was happening, his hearts accelerating at the thought of losing Artimes forever.

"Oh dear, has our little plan gone horribly wrong, Doctor? You have failed her." The Wire stated an evil smirk on her face, "Such a disappointment you've been. Her faith was misplaced after all."

Why wasn't anything happening? It should have worked! It felt like his world was crashing down around him and he could barely breathe. His head jerked upwards as the beams of light spanning from the pylon's tip retracted and flowed down into the Wire's portable television. She writhed and wailed with pain.

"It's closed down, I'm afraid, and no epilogue." The Doctor said cheekily.

"Then your friend dies with me!" The Wire screeched.

With one last piercing scream from the electrical creature known as the Wire, the television switched off. The Doctor stared at the set for several moments, trying to calm his rampaging hearts. Was the Wire telling the truth? Did he condemn Artimes to be trapped with the Wire? He felt that strange sensation again, the one telling him that there was someplace else he needed to be. His eyes widened as he recognized the feeling. It was Artimes! It was similar to when he had linked with her mind, just less powerful.

His body sagged in relief, knowing he had actually saved her. At the same time, he couldn't help but think about what the Wire had said. He knew it had just been taunting him, trying to goad him into an emotional frenzy, but he was still worried about what her reaction to all this might be. He had unknowingly put Artimes into danger because he had left Rose on her own.

The red head would always choose to protect his companions and that was her future self. What would the present Artimes, the one so new to this life, say and do? Would she hate him for being so reckless? Would she be angry and upset about how he nearly got millions of people killed? Would she not trust him and shy away from him? He just didn't know and that scared him more than anything in the universe.

* * *

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 6: Armed and Clever is complete! Blimey, that was epic and I'm the one who wrote it! Is it weird for a writer to think their own stuff is awesome? Normally I'm my own worst critic, but there is just something about writing in the Doctor Who universe that makes me…well go all fan girl, I suppose. Okay, I'm rambling which means leave a review! Coming Soon: Chapter Seven: His Artz! Stay tuned!


	7. TIL:Ch7: His Artz

Lady A: Hey everyone! Welcome back PS:O! Last time: The Doctor built a device to trap the Wire and actually succeeded! Not only that, but Magpie was saved by Artimes by unknown means. Lastly, what will happen when the Doctor and Artimes finally meet? Will their doubts be nothing more than misconceptions or will their fears be justified? Let's find out! On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Seven: His Artz

* * *

Rose and Tommy stood in the control room watching the coronation on one of the screens. The Doctor joined them shortly, his eyes distant but a smile on his lips.

"What have I missed?" He asked gaining both of their attentions.

Rose let out relieved laugh and the Doctor received a big hug from his blonde companion.

"Doctor, what happened?" Tommy countered as Rose released the Timelord.

The Doctor flashed a smile at the boy.

"Sorted…electrical creature, TV technology, clever alien life form…that's me by the way, "The Doctor started shooting Rose a cheeky grin and the blonde simply rolled her eyes, "I turned the receiver back into a transmitter and trapped the Wire in here."

He lifted the video to indicate his point.

"I just invented the home video thirty years early, Betamax." The Doctor stated seemingly happy with his achievement.

Rose watched him intently, noticing that his eyes did not match up with his so called happy go lucky behavior. The Doctor was worried about something. The blonde didn't know what had happened up on the pylon, but the Timelord was unsettled. Rose had never seen the Doctor look so out of sorts and she surmised that it had something to do with Artimes. She drew the Doctor's attention to the TV that was showing footage of the coronation, hoping to distract him from whatever he was thinking about.

"Oh look! God save the queen, eh?" He commented his demeanor relaxing slightly.

* * *

Artimes had come back to herself in the D.I.'s office and she slumped to the floor, her head dizzy and aching. She remembered being inside the Wire. She couldn't move an inch and that blasted creature had been trying to suppress her into oblivion. She had fought back, putting everything she was into it and she had gained awareness of the outside world.

She had seen the Doctor, eyes full of sorrow and voice full of rage. He had been far more emotional than his DW counterpart. It made her wonder if he cared for her more than she had previously thought. Rose had said that the Doctor loved seeing her smile and laugh. He did listen to her as well.

She had felt his surprise when their minds had touched the first time and she wasn't even sure how she had done it to begin with, but she had felt his trust and then the second time they connected, the odd tranquility that seemed to bring him such peace. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought that he enjoyed her presence in his mind. Artimes shook her head, trying desperately to clear it of the fogginess as she stood up. She staggered and fell heavily onto the desk.

Her body was shouting at her for moving, her energy completely drained. She had a stinking suspicion that it had something to do with the barrier that protected Magpie. That had somehow been her…she had saved him. Her heart had screamed in desperation and she had been surrounded by a gold light while still within the Wire. That light had saved the poor electrician and she would gladly accept any fallout for that action. She smiled slightly…she had saved a life and it made her feel incredibly good, knowing she had done something amazing and good.

Artimes hauled herself out the makeshift undercover headquarters and headed back to Florizel Street. While she walked, her body became less tired and she didn't feel like she was going to pass out any second. Her mind became clearer as questions floated through her mind. So many were unanswered, new ones were emerging, and all she wanted was to find the Doctor. She wanted, no, she needed to verify what she had felt in his mind. She could not name the emotion that feeling was, but it was strong, stronger than anything she had ever felt and it was such a wonderful feeling. Who was she to the Doctor?

"Artimes!" A voice called out over the crowded street.

Artimes's head jerked in the direction of the voice and her eyes landed on Rose. The red head grinned widely, relief surging through her at the sight of the blonde, and dashed over to her friend, embracing her in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're alright. How's the head? I pushed you kinda hard. Are you alright?" Artimes gushed finally pulling back to examine her friend's physical state.

Rose smiled happily, her own relief dancing in her eyes.

"I'm perfectly fine, no concussion or anything. What about you? You had your face stolen. Are you okay?" Rose replied checking the red head over.

Artimes laughed.

"No worse for wear, but where's the Doctor?" She asked worry in her tone.

A conspicuous throat clearing drew Artimes's attention away from her blond companion and to the tall and, in her opinion, incredibly handsome form of the Tenth Doctor. Rose stepped away from the pair to give them a moment alone. Artimes simply stared at him, any and all words dying in her throat. Standing before her was her favorite Doctor, the _real_ Doctor.

His DW counterpart had been there for her in her darkest days; saved her from the darkness that once threatened to consume her sanity, gave her strength when her body struggled to cope, gave her courage when facing the unknown, and showed her that it was absolutely fine to be compassionate and kind. Now she was with this reality's version of her Doctor and she honestly didn't have any clue as to what to say.

"Rose told me this was your first jump." The Doctor started hands in his pockets and looking quite nervous.

It was all Artimes could do to simply nod in reply.

"I'm sorry…for putting you in danger." He continued shifting uneasily under her unwavering gaze, his eyes filled with guilt and remorse.

Her heart ached seeing him so torn up. He was blaming himself so much that the red head knew that the Doctor really did care about her. They were really friends. She had to stop him from feeling so guilty, because it hurt to see him like this.

"Don't…" She started stopping to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Don't what?" He asked frowning in confusion, his guilt intensifying as he almost cringed.

She set aside her fears and focused solely on the impossible man before. He wasn't ever going to understand unless she spit it out and at that this point, she just wanted him to stop looking at her like he was a kicked puppy. That wasn't the Doctor and with a sudden surge of courage, her posture straightened and she looked him square in the eyes.

"Don't you ever blame yourself for my choices. I knew what would happen and I knew the danger. I also knew that you would stop the Wire and save everyone, so no more feeling guilty. Do you understand me, Theta?!" She snapped.

Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake. She gasped and threw her hands over her mouth. She had just used his name and she didn't think that would go over well.

"Sorry, you probably don't like people using your name." She apologized her voice muffled by her hands, an almost horrified expression on her face.

The Doctor let out a relieved laugh, pulled his hands from his pockets and took her hands away from her mouth. He kissed the back of her hands and held them close to his chest, his eyes warm and bright.

"You're the only one who can call me, Theta, my precious Artz." He replied smiling.

"Artz?" She echoed looking up at him in surprise and confusion.

"The name only I can call you." He clarified answering her unspoken question.

A grin slowly made its way onto Artimes's face, her eyes filling with happiness. She had been so worried that he would hate her, but in actually, he didn't. Unknown to her, his thoughts mirrored her own and he was simply relieved that she was still with him and didn't distance herself from him like he had once feared.

* * *

Artimes, Rose and the Doctor walked down the street watching people dance, laugh, and have a good all time. Rose was slightly ahead of them, looking very much like a kid at Christmas. The Doctor had yet to release Artimes's right hand and the red head conveniently forgot to mention it. She had no desire to let him go and his own feelings ran along the same path. They were simply happy to be in each other's company.

"We could down the mall, join in with the crowd." Rose suggested with enthusiasm.

The Doctor noticed when Artimes stiffened at the idea. His brows furrowed in confusion and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

She glanced up at him shyly, a faint blush on her face.

"I don't do well in really large crowds. They scare me." She admitted quietly, her head hanging slightly and her hair covering her eyes.

It was so hard to believe that this was the same woman he had met time and again throughout his recent life. She seemed so new, so innocent, and she was still so forgiving that it was ridiculous. He would not force her to do anything she didn't want to and a large crowd would not be good for her physical health. She had been through enough with the Wire and he was going to do his best to make her less uncomfortable.

"Nah, that's just pomp and circumstance. This is history right here." He stated straightening up and motioning to the street party that was in full swing around them.

Artimes sent him a grateful look and he smiled softly at her, his hand squeezing hers in understanding. Rose caught the interaction, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

"The domestic approach." The blonde stated gaining their attention again.

"Exactly." The Doctor replied giving the girls a goofy grin.

The trio laughed happily.

"What about the Wire?" Artimes asked suddenly, glancing up at him.

"Is it trapped for good on video?" Rose inquired as well.

"Hope so. Just to be on the safe side though, I'll use my unrivaled knowledge of trans-temporal extirpation to neutralize the residual electronic pattern." The Doctor rambled off.

Rose shot Artimes a confused look. The red head rolled her eyes at the Doctor and his techno babble.

"He's going to tape over it." She clarified.

"I'm going to tape over it." The Doctor repeated happily.

Rose laughed at the pair.

"Just leave that to me. I'm always doing that." The blonde replied.

The trio continued meandering around the party, stopping shortly to converse with Tommy and convincing him not to give up on his dad. They spent several hours enjoying themselves, the Doctor being particularly favorable to the countless cakes at his disposal. It wasn't until Artimes rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes drooping slightly in fatigue, that he noticed how worn out she appeared to be. He internally berated himself for being caught up in the moment and forgetting that this was her first jump and she was without a doubt, completely exhausted.

"Come on. Time to introduce you to your new home." He whispered in her ear.

She smiled up at him, her eyes alight with excitement and something akin to joy radiating off her entire being. It made him grin happily, knowing just how excited she was to see the Tardis. The trio stood up and began their journey to the magical blue box that was their home.

* * *

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 7: His Artz is complete. This chapter was quite a bit longer because I wanted expound a bit on Artimes's time with the Wire, giving you some insight on what was going on and all. Now, be on the lookout for Chapter 8: Old Girl which will be arriving very soon…probably tomorrow or the day after. Leave a ton of reviews and thanks to all those who faved, followed, and reviewed. Later cats!


	8. Chapter 8: Old Girl

Lady A: Apologies for the wait. Got slightly distracted by someone else's Doctor Who story. Now, Artimes is about to come face to face with the Doctor's time/space machine. How will she react? Moreover, does she finally start asking the big questions that are burning in her mind and what's this about his ninth self being suspicious? On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Eight: Old Girl

* * *

The Doctor struggled to keep Artimes upright as they walked towards the Tardis. He had one arm wrapped around her waist and had his other hand covering her eyes. She was giggling at his childish behavior, a faint blush on her cheeks. The Doctor had realized, rather belatedly, that they were extremely close to each other, but he couldn't bring himself to let her go. It simply felt too right for her to be in his arms and after the events of the day, he refused to not be in some sort of physical contact with her; to make certain she was still with him.

Artimes did her best to contain the squeal of delight and joy as the Doctor dropped his hand to reveal the amazing blue box that was now her home. She bolted from the Doctor's grasp, much to his disappointment, and ran towards the Tardis. The Timelord and his blonde companion chuckled at her child like behavior, her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

Seeing the red head run around the box to gauge its actual size reminded the Doctor that she was just beginning this life. There was so much she would experience in the coming years; some incredible, some awe inspiring, some frightening, some remarkably dangerous, and some that would scar her for the life. It wasn't fair; it simply wasn't fair.

He soaked up the image of her awe filled eyes, how brightly they shined, and the joy that flowed off her being. This was the moment before the darkness, the time when her heart shined the brightest; unburdened by memories of the past and unaware of the trials of her future. She was honest, upfront, impossibly kind, and so incredibly innocent. He wanted nothing more than to protect her from all the bad things that would happen to her. His hearts clenched painfully as memories of those terrible dangers flooded his mind. She would sacrifice so much and gain so little in return, yet she never complained and always believed him, no matter how many times he had failed her.

Artimes finally walked up to the door and stroked the smooth wood, a soft smile on her lips.

"Hello Old Girl." She greeted softly.

She was rewarded by the door unlocking itself, the Doctor shaking his head slightly in disbelief. He always wondered why the Tardis did that for her, but for no one else, not even him. She grinned happily at the Doctor and gesture became contagious, causing both he and Rose to grin back with equal fervor. She opened the doors slowly and walked in a few steps, her mouth dropping open and the expression on her face was one of awe, amazement, and sheer happiness. Rose and the Doctor entered as well, closing the door behind them. They shared a brief conspiratorial look with one another, both making a silent bet on what she would say.

"Oh, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." She stated, the Tardis hummed happily in response.

Rose smirked and gave the Doctor a knowing look saying 'I told you she wouldn't say the line,' but the Doctor ignored her, his eyes full of wonder and an odd sense of joy. He had said almost the exact same thing when he first entered the Tardis all those years ago on Gallifrey. Artimes really wasn't like other people, human or alien. She was…she was his Artz.

His eyes softened as she dashed towards the central console and stroked the time rotor lovingly, the Tardis incredibly pleased by the red head's attention. The Doctor could feel it; the Tardis loved her, had always loved her…it was almost like Artimes was her own child. He had never fully understood how the Tardis had formed such a deep and profound bond with the red head; it was even deeper than the one he shared with the Old Girl, but seeing Artimes at the start of it all, he could at least fathom why. She was meant to be here, she just belonged with the Tardis.

Rose, knowing that Artimes had a million questions running through that head of hers, decided that it was the opportune moment to make a discreet exit, leaving the pair alone. This action did not go unnoticed by the other two, but each silently thanked the blonde for her tact and thoughtfulness.

"So…do you like her?" The Doctor asked suddenly nervous again.

He still didn't know how he should act around her. She was so new to this and he didn't want to overwhelm her. Artimes turned and faced him, crossing her arms across her chest and her right hip jutting out a bit in a sassy manner. He inwardly grinned. It was a pose he knew quite well and one of his favorites too.

"I don't like the Tardis, Theta. I love the Tardis. Get it right." She answered giving him a pointed look.

He chuckled softly. Now that was definitely his Artz.

"How am I connected to the Tardis and why do I jump through time and space?" She asked her expression serious.

His eyes grew sad and he fell into a rather somber mood. Blimey, she was pulling out the heavy questions already. Yeah, that was definitely Artimes alright. She did always prefer the direct approach.

"You're connected to the Time Vortex that lies within the heart of the Tardis. As for why you jump around my timeline, I honestly don't know, but I am working on it. I will find the answer." He answered honestly, walking slowly towards her until they were about two feet from each other.

She backed up a little and mumbled something about 'freakishly tall males,' making a weak smile flash across his lips for a moment.

"When I first jumped, it hurt like hell, like I was literally ripped off my feet and shoved through a wall. The landing wasn't all that great either. Now, Rose said my early days were rough. What _exactly_ does that mean?" She asked her arms falling to her sides as she leaned her left hip against the console.

"This was your first jump. The wall you felt was most likely when you were dragged through the space in between worlds." He started.

"The Eternals called it 'The Howling', the Timelords called it 'The Void', and some people referred to it as Hell." Artimes interjected.

He smiled at her, a proud expression on his face. He always loved it when she showed how brilliant she was. She glanced away, a blush staining her cheeks and he realized he was staring at her with a goofy grin on his face.

"As for the pain and fatigue you felt, your body hasn't had time to adjust to the Time Vortex running through you, as well as the high levels of Artron energy that has flooded your system. It will take time for the vortex to stabilize and for the energy to no longer be in flux. Once that has occurred, the pain will stop, but your landings still won't be graceful." He continued smirking slightly at the memories of her appearing and commonly landing on her backside.

Those humorous moments were replaced by the darker ones and he had to fight off the incredibly strong impulse to wrap his arms around her and never let her go. She didn't deserve everything that was going to happen to her and he just wanted to keep her safe.

"Just one more question before I go and explore this incredibly sexy ship." She started smiling slightly.

"Fire away." He replied grinning at her playful tone.

"What color are my eyes?" She asked.

He frowned in confusion. Okay, he was most certainly not expecting that question. How could she not know her own eye color?

"They're blue…like sapphires. Why?" He asked honestly perplexed.

She took on a thoughtful expression.

"Interesting. In the universe I came from, I had dark blonde hair and forest green eyes. Here, I have crimson red hair and sapphire blue eyes. Not to mention, I'm about six inches taller than I was before. I was 5'3 ½". Now I'm roughly over 5'9". I wonder why all that changed." She replied honestly curious.

Now it made sense.

"It's most likely due to the introduction of such high concentrations of Artron energy into your system. To accommodate the constant presence of the Time Vortex, the Artron energy would have had to alter your genetic pattern to a more compatible one and make it non-life threatening as well. It stands to reason that there would be external physical changes along with the internal ones." He explained watching as she tried not to grin at him.

He honestly wondered what he said or done to make her stare at him like that. She seemed to be caught in the middle of grinning like an idiot and trying to remain serious. Finally, she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and started heading around the console.

"Sounds plausible to me. Anyways, I'm gonna go run around the Old Girl like a mad woman and get to know her. Laters!" She responded before running out of the control room will the biggest grin on her face.

He shook his head at her behavior, a smile on his lips. She really did fit in perfectly on the Tardis. His face slowly drooped as the memories he had been trying to ignore resurfaced, reminding him of what was coming in her future. With great effort, he shoved the past to the back of his mind. He couldn't change what happened then, but he could at least enjoy the present and all the times in between the dangers. He would keep her smiling and make her happy.

* * *

Artimes reentered the console room several hours later in a nineteenth century dress commonly worn by noblewomen in Cardiff. It was remarkably similarly to the one Rose had worn, though a little less revealing and it was a beautiful, deep blue color as opposed to the red the blonde had worn. She refused to wear period shoes and instead wore a pair of black converse. She also wore a dark royal blue cloak, clasped at the front of her neck. It shimmered with silver sparkles making it look like a starry night.

"What do you think?" She asked as she approached the Doctor who was fiddling with some of the controls on the console.

He looked up and he went slack jawed at the sight of her. The first thought in his mind was that she was absolutely stunning and blue was definitely a good color for her. The second was that he recognized the outfit from one of his ninth self's memories.

"Beautiful." He whispered in awe, his eyes roaming over her appreciatively.

Artimes blushed prettily, her heart pounding in her chest. Her brain was pretty addled by the Doctor's gaze and it was making her very hot. She lowered her eyes to her hands as she clasped them in front of her nervously. She could still feel his eyes on her and her cheeks became hotter.

"The Tardis picked it out and I guessed there was a reason why she wanted me to wear this. Seems like my next stop will be Cardiff 1869. Should be interesting dealing with a disbelieving author and blue ghosts." She stated trying distract herself and calm her flaming cheeks.

The Doctor walked over to her and lifted her chin to look into those beautiful sapphire blue orbs. He knew what happened in Cardiff and it wasn't going to be easy for her. Not only did she have to contend with her foreknowledge, but his warrior like regeneration. Then there was Gwyneth, the Gelth, and even Rose. He didn't want her to go. He didn't want her to have to face that alone, but he couldn't change it and he couldn't stop it.

"My ninth self may be somewhat snappish towards you, but don't let it bother you. Simply be yourself and he'll come round. Cardiff was definitely a turning point for us and most certainly in the right direction." He revealed biting his tongue to keep him from saying more.

"I look forward to it." She replied an odd smile on her face.

"I remember it well." He responded and her smile increased dramatically.

He never wanted to see that smile fade and yet where she was going, all she would be doing was crying. In a surge of desperation and helplessness, he bent down and kissed her. A fire erupted inside him and he brought her closer, his hands slipping around her waist effortlessly as he deepened the kiss. She responded shyly at first, no doubt getting over the shock, but apparently her instincts kicked in and that shyness melted away.

Her arms slipped around his neck and her hands threaded into his hair. She gasped for breath and he took advantage of it, plundering her mouth. Her taste was intoxicating and the closeness of their bodies reignited a certain memory from his previous regeneration, kindling a physical need he had been ignoring. She gasped again and he was about to continue where they left off, but the golden glow creeping up along her arms and legs alerted him to the very sad truth. She backed away from as she cried out in pain, her eyes wide in fear.

"Theta." She called quietly as the golden flames continued to engulf her body.

"Remember to be yourself and I promise everything will work itself out." He instructed as he watched the energy form a pair of gold flame like wings on her back.

"I'll see you soon." She replied her eyes shimmering with tears as she tried to contend with the pain she was feeling.

"Stay strong." He responded his voice damn close to pleading.

"For you, Theta, for you." She promised as the wings wrapped around her, cocooning her in a golden sphere of energy.

In a flash of light, she was gone. Rose ran into the control room, the Tardis having alerted her to the red head's departure, and saw the look of devastation on the Timelord's face.

"Where has she gone?" She asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

He looked over at his blonde haired companion, tears in his eyes.

"Cardiff…1869." He answered his voice so quiet that she barely heard him.

The blonde ran over to him and embraced him tightly. Both knew the horrible choice that lay ahead of Artimes on that night and they knew how much that choice had wounded her exceptionally kind heart. The adventures of the time/space jumper known as Artz had begun and it was going to be one hell of a roller coaster for all involved.

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Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 8: Old Girl is complete! Bet you didn't expect that kiss, did ya? To be honest, when I was first writing it, I didn't have it in there, but changed my mind because I want to have some romance with Ten. I love Ten! Up next is the episode from season 1 called _The Unquiet Dead_. So be on the lookout for Chapter 9: Changing Times! Oh I just realized that the Ninth Doctor is showing up in Chapter 9. Blimey, I did not plan that. That just happened, I swear. Anyways, leave tons of reviews. Stay tuned!


	9. TUD:Ch9: Changing Times

Lady A: Hey there, Ladies and Gents! Welcome back to Phoenix Saga: Origin! I am so sorry for the wait but I wanted to get a bit ahead so that I could update semi regularly. I now have 17 chapters waiting to be typed up so we should be good for a bit. Okay, this chapter starts off Artimes's adventures with the Ninth regeneration of the Doctor. Things will be incredibly confusing because it is a pivotal point for Artimes and the Doctor. It may seem like things are moving too fast but in actuality, they are not. Also for anyone who is curious, the episode after this one is _Journey to the Center of the Tardis_. Now that will be majorly confusing because it was way ahead in the Doctor's timeline. Now for _The Unquiet Dead_! On with the show!

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Chapter Nine: Changing Times

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The Doctor, dressed in dark clothing and a leather jacket, was rather ecstatic to be in the coach with the famous writer and author, Charles Dickens. He had been ranting about his works for a good two minutes and he was about to continue when a golden light filled the carriage. His jaw clenched and he internally groaned. He was in no mood to play the avoidance game and evasion dance with the bane of his existence. Why couldn't she just leave him alone and let him have some peace for a change? He just wanted a nice little adventure with Rose without the headache that was the time/space jumper.

The gold light faded to reveal the ginger haired woman named Artimes. She was sitting on the opposite side of the coach and directly in front of the irritated Timelord. He was about to snap at her for once again popping up and sticking her nose into his business when he took note of her current physical state. Her breathing was labored and erratic, her skin ashen white, and her eyes were glazed over in pain and exhaustion.

He wondered briefly on what had happened to her. She looked like she was about keel over and that honestly had him a little worried. He did notice that she was, at least, dressed for the time period, the dress she was wearing accentuated her curves to perfection. He, rather begrudgingly, had to admit that she looked quite stunning in blue. He mentally berated himself for being attracted to her once again. She was so damn likable and he remembered how her face had lit up with awe and excitement the last two times he had seen her. She fascinated him to no end and he honestly enjoyed her company. If she only told him the truth about who she was and how she knew what she did then he wouldn't be so against having her pop up in his life whenever she pleased.

"Doctor." She said quietly before falling forward.

Without hesitation, he caught her, his arms wrapping around her slightly, and his skin came into contact with her own. His eyes widened at the temperature of her skin. She was cold, extremely so; she was like ice and no human should be that cold…ever. His hearts sped up in fear and trepidation. He pushed her back and reached into his jacket, withdrawing his sonic screwdriver.

He glided it over her a few times before reading the results. According to the scans, the Artron energy in her system was fluxing like mad and the vortex was highly unstable. Dear God, no wonder she was in so much pain. He put away his sonic screwdriver and took Artimes's face in his hands, looking into her glazed over blue eyes.

"Artimes, how many times have you jumped?" He demanded completely ignoring the sputtering and quite frankly, shocked Charles Dickens, who was still trying to find his voice.

The Doctor had met Artimes twice before, but those were obviously her future selves. They had told him that they had lost count of how many times they had jumped, but they had mentioned a period of time they referred to as the 'Early Days.' Those days had been rough, rougher than anything they had ever felt before. It was the days where not a single moment had gone by that they had not felt pain or exhaustion, the days the vortex was stabilizing and the Artron energy was settling into their systems. He needed to know how early Artimes was in her time stream. The earlier it was, the worse the pain would be.

"Second jump." She answered trying to clear her eyes and focus on him better.

The Doctor was not a heartless man. He may get irritated, annoyed, agitated, snappish, or sometimes be downright hostile towards the red headed time/space jumper, but she was also a living, breathing enigma and he could never pass up a puzzle like her. She was just starting her new life and she was paying the price for her jumps. It actually made him feel somewhat guilty for snapping at her future selves. This early on in her time stream…she could actually die from the strain and that really bothered him.

"I'm taking you back home." He stated pushing her back into her seat.

He didn't feel like explaining what the Tardis was to the still flabbergasted British author so he avoided mentioning the blue box at all. All he could think about was getting Artimes someplace safe where she could rest and recover from her jump.

"No." She replied weakly, shaking her head to emphasize her point, "Save Rose."

His eyes widened as he recalled his blonde companion who was currently in danger. Damn, he had actually forgotten about her!

"Faster driver!" The Doctor yelled taking his anger out on the driver rather than the barely conscious woman sitting in front of him.

Charles, who had finally gotten a hold of himself, spoke up, his irritation taking precedence over his confusion and disbelief.

"Who are you and who exactly is in that hearse?" He demanded giving the Timelord a stern look.

The Doctor glanced at Artimes a moment. How to describe the red head that magically appeared in his life at random moments? He did like her; her spunk, her courage, her compassion, her humor, her curiosity, her quick wit, and she certainly did appeal to him on a physical level. He inwardly face palmed at his own thoughts. He really needed to have his head checked because for all intents and purposes, he should not feel so damn pulled towards the ginger woman. She called to him on a level that was impossible considering he barely knew a thing about her and she seemed to know practically everything about him. He needed to keep things simple, otherwise Dickens would never get it. Hell, he didn't understand what Artimes was to him.

"Her name is Artimes and she's a friend. As for the hearse, my other friend. She's only nineteen and it's my fault. She's in my care and now she's in danger." The Doctor explained continuing to glance at the red head.

She was struggling to stay conscious and he wondered how many times she would have to endure the pain of her jumps before her body finally equalized. A part of him didn't want to think about it and go back to thinking that she was nothing more than a nuisance that he had to put up with but there was another part…a rather large part that was starting to see that she was just a woman in an impossible situation and simply doing the best she could to cope with all the things that the universe was throwing at her. He really needed to get to know her and not treat her so harshly.

"Why are we wasting my time talking about such ridiculous nonsense? This is much more important and that ginger woman needs to be indoors. Driver! Be swift! The chase is on!" Dickens ordered sending a concerned glance at the red head as he mentioned her.

"Yes sir!" The driver replied making the coach pick up speed.

The Doctor grinned.

"Thatta boy, Charlie!" The Timelord exclaimed delighted, causing Artimes to smile weakly.

"Nobody calls me Charlie." Dickens replied sourly.

"The ladies do." Artimes commented earning herself a small grin of amusement from the Doctor.

"How do you know that?"The writer asked perplexed.

"I always know." She answered mysteriously, making the older man huff and glance out the window.

The Doctor had heard her say that before and he always wondered how she could know, but she never said and that was why he couldn't trust her completely. He watched her carefully, keeping an eye on her condition. He noticed the tears building in her eyes and how she refused to let them fall, determination burning in those sapphire blue depths. She was in more pain than she was letting on and she should be, by all rights, writhing in agony and screaming bloody murder; he had seen that in his scans from before and yet here she was, holding herself together by the sheer power of her own will. It was simply remarkable and that determination earned a point in her favor.

His hearts clenched painfully as a single tear rolled down her face, her hands fisted tightly, knuckles white from the pressure. Seeing her so drained made him miss her future selves and their vibrancy. This current version of Artimes was so young and new and she was in so much pain that it hurt him to see her like this. His emotional state was in tatters and he was having an internal debate about whether or not to just trust her completely, despite not knowing who she was to him in the future or how she knew what no other could possibly have known.

After several minutes, his mental struggle ended with only one thought; he had to protect Artimes from whatever was going on in Cardiff 1869. He had to keep her safe at all costs and get her back to the Tardis. Sleep was the only thing that could help her at this point and surprisingly, he was very angry that there was nothing else he could do for her. He won't fail her and maybe…if he was very lucky, she would open up to him and at least give him something to help unravel the mystery was Artimes.

* * *

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 9 is complete! Yeah, I actually changed this quite a bit from what I had originally written. I didn't like how it flowed in my hand written version so as I typed, it got altered. This is why you should always do a hand written version first, get the core of the story, then type it up so you can expound, augment, improve, or flat out omit things as you go. Be on the lookout for Chapter 10: Breaking and Entering! Leave tons of reviews and much love to the 30 people who followed Phoenix Saga: Origin! Stay tuned!


	10. TUD:Ch10: Breaking and Entering

Lady A: Hey everyone! I dedicate this chapter to all those who reviewed this story! Much love to you amazing people! *grins like a mad woman* Now, I don't really have much to say so we're going to get to the chapter now. On with the show!

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Chapter Ten: Breaking and Entering

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The coach finally arrived at its destination, the undertakers. The Doctor exited first, but quickly turned around to face the carriage. Artimes tried to step out of the coach, but pretty much fell out and was heading towards the ground at an alarming speed. The Doctor caught her around the waist and held her steady as she stood upright.

"Don't worry about me." She whispered giving him a tired glare.

She broke away from his grasp and began staggering towards the door. She swayed and he caught her again. She tried to move but her face scrunched up in pain. She whimpered quietly and the Doctor tightened his grip on her subconsciously as her entire body went rigid. After a few seconds, she took a few shuddering breaths and reopened her eyes. She sent him a small smile telling him that she was alright.

The Doctor was not happy about this. She was pushing herself too hard and it was going to kill her. She broke free from him again and she made for the door. Dickens knocked on the door and it was opened by a young woman in a maid's outfit.

"Sorry Gwyneth." Artimes apologized as she rushed past the startled maid.

"You can't!" She called blocking the door once more so that the Timelord couldn't follow her.

The Doctor tuned out what Dickens and the maid were talking about and instead focused on the gas lamp just inside the house. It was flickering erratically and he thought for a moment that he heard something whispering. Finally he had had enough of the pair's debate and pushed Gwyneth out of the way, the maid staggering back in alarm.

"You're not allowed inside, sir!" She exclaimed as he pressed his ear against the wall, a frown on his face.

"There's something in the walls, the gas pipes." He started concentrating on the wall, "Something's living inside the gas."

His head snapped up when he heard the sounds of a struggle before a door slammed. What the hell was that and where the hell was Artimes?

"Artimes! Help! Please help…Doctor!" Rose cried her voice echoing down the hall to them.

"That's her." The Doctor stated glancing at Dickens a moment before rushing down the hallway.

Dickens followed closely behind as they raced deeper into the house.

"Doctor! Doctor, please!" Artimes yelled her voice terrified.

His hearts sped up as his own fear took root. The red head had never sounded so scared before. His legs moved faster, his determination to find the ginger fueling his speed. He rushed past a middle aged man, probably the maid's master and owner of the house, but he didn't care. All he cared about was finding her.

"Artimes! Rose! Where are you?" He shouted trying to get his bearings.

He heard two sets of banging on the door closest to him and he was wondering how she got in there. A question he actually vocalized.

"Artimes, how'd you get in there?" He asked perplexed.

"Sneed!" She answered making the Doctor wondered who Sneed was, "Just open th…"

She didn't finish her sentence and the banging stopped. He heard muffled screaming and that was all the incentive he needed to kick the door in. His eyes widened at the sight of a walking corpse holding Artimes and Rose captive.

"I think this is _my_ dance." He stated dragging both girls away from the dead man and woman.

He pushed them slightly behind him and they clung to each other. Well more like Rose was supporting Artimes to keep her from crumpling like a rag doll.

"It's a prank? It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence." Dickens stated clearly dismissing what he was seeing.

The Timelord refrained from rolling his eyes and remembered that Charles was, in fact, a nineteenth century human that had just been confronted with something that was clearly not from Earth. He could let it go this time.

"No, we're not. The dead are walking." The Doctor replied turning his attention to his girls and grinned, "Hi."

His grin faded slightly when he glanced at the ginger haired woman. Struggling with a corpse had not done her any favors and she was barely hanging on to consciousness. She was one incredibly stubborn woman; he could give her that much credit.

"Hi. Who's your friend?" Rose asked noticing his lingering gaze at the red head.

"Charles Dickens." Artimes answered breathlessly, a slight smile on her face at the blonde's sudden stunned expression.

"Oh…okay." Rose replied not really knowing how to respond to that.

The Doctor let his gaze linger on the red head a moment longer, worry dancing in his eyes, before returning his attention to the two corpses. He wanted to be angry with these gas-like creatures for putting so much strain on her but he was also highly curious about why they were there in the first place.

"My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?" He asked keeping his tone conversational and squashing his protective instincts down to focus on the matter at hand.

That was another reason why she shouldn't be around. Artimes always distracted him, his own instincts warring against his rational mind to keep her safe and away from harm. She simply did not make sense.

"We're failing. Open the rift, we're dying. Trapped in this form…cannot sustain…help us." The male answered its voice generating waves of helplessness and desperation.

Whoever they were, they were in trouble. He could sense that with his heightened mental abilities. They needed help and he was going to help them. He was broken out of his thoughts as both corpses raised their heads towards the ceiling. The sounds of wailing echoed through the small room as two blue, gas-like creatures were expelled out of the corpses' mouths. They vanished into the gas lamps and the bodies fell to the floor.

That was the only thing that fell because Artimes's legs buckled and she sagged to the floor. Rose kept her arms wrapped around the barely conscious woman and tried her best to steady the ginger haired girl.

"Doctor!" Rose called out in alarm.

The Timelord whipped around, his eyes landing on Artimes, and he immediately went to her side and knelt down next to the red head. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open but still insisted on talking.

"Have to…warn you." Artimes started holding on to consciousness as hard as she could.

The Doctor was slightly stunned that she was willing to warn him about future events. Her future selves had been less than accommodating in that regard.

"You can't, Artimes. Foreknowledge is dangerous." The Doctor replied quickly.

To say he wasn't tempted by her offer would be a complete and total lie, but the reason foreknowledge was dangerous was because it could create paradoxes, temporal anomalies, and even rewrite time and punch a hole in the fabric of reality. Her future selves must have understood that because their previous encounters with each other had been far more irritating and less informative.

"But…people will die. Have to…save…" She began again but the lost the fight as she fell unconscious.

The Doctor lifted the red head into his arms, one arm under her knees and the other wrapped around her back, and carried her bridal style from the room. He ignored everyone else as he searched for a suitable place for Artimes to rest. His mind was trying to work out what was going on and what was to come.

On one side he had those blue ghosts asking for help but on the other, the red head had said people were going to die. He was more inclined to believe her because he had seen her foreknowledge at work, both on Earth against the Nestene consciousness and on Platform One. He decided to gather more information, but he was going to make certain to keep Artimes safe and hopefully prevent any deaths from occurring.

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Lady A: Tada! Chapter 10 is over! The blue ghosts have come, begging for help and the Doctor is struggling to comprehend our favorite time/space jumper. How will the aliens effect the relationship between Artimes and the Doctor? Will he finally trust her, even though he doesn't know where she gets her foreknowledge from? We'll just have to find out in Chapter 11: The Turning Point! Leave tons of reviews and stay tuned!


	11. TUD:Ch11: The Turning Point

Lady A: Welcome back to PS:O! I wasn't planning on updating so soon but I just got this weird urge to type and so here we are! Now special shout out for winrykatbell and JustThatOneYoutubeNerd! These two lovely people help me sort out my ideas and inspire me to keep writing, so thank you very much you two and I love you to bits! Now, let's see how the Doctor contends with our impossible space/time jumper Artimes, shall we? On with the show!

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Chapter Eleven: The Turning Point

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The Doctor explained to the small group of people about the rift running through Cardiff and then spoke briefly to Dickens, apologizing to the disbelieving author who was having trouble accepting everything that was going on. His thoughts drifted towards the red haired time/space jumper and he decided to check up on her. She was sleeping on a lounge chair in the study just off the main den, the place where the others were having tea and sorting out their thoughts. He entered the room and scanned Artimes again, growling slightly under his breath as he read the results.

The ginger haired woman had been asleep for about twenty five minutes and she barely showed any improvement. She was still pale and her skin could still be described as frosty. Her breathing wasn't as labored as before but it was still far from acceptable. The Doctor sat down on the edge of the lounge chair, his thoughts a tangled mess.

He brushed back her bangs, allowing his right hand to come to rest on her left cheek. He smiled slightly when she leaned into his touch. He simply couldn't understand what he was feeling. She made him so happy, but her evasiveness always drove him up the wall. She had known things about him that no other living soul should have known and yet she did but at the same time, she didn't shun him, rebuke him, or even hate him.

Her future selves had been so confident, kind, forgiving, and just a tiny bit sexy. They were also smart, witty, sassy, a wee bit sarcastic, and dare he even think it, humorous. It wasn't that he didn't like her, because he really did and he enjoyed her company immensely, probably more than he should, but he couldn't bring himself to trust her, at least not completely.

Setting aside her knowledge of both the past and future, Artimes had shown a level of kindness and understanding that he had never seen in a human before. She seemed too good to be true and that was what made him so weary of her. She simply couldn't be what he had witnessed her to be; it was impossible.

Artimes began to stir and he realized that he was still cupping her face. He removed his hand rather quickly, slightly embarrassed that he had been touching her for so long. She opened her eyes slowly, momentarily confused by her surroundings.

"Theta?" She whispered looking around for him.

His hearts fluttered when she said his name. Why did it make him so happy? How did she know his name in the first place?

"I'm here." He answered softly, his tone much gentler than he expected.

She looked over at him and smiled weakly. He stared into those glazed over blue eyes, his worry increasing when he noticed that she was still in a lot of pain.

"Can't call it a party without someone passing out, right?" She joked quietly.

He couldn't stop the chuckle from rising up out of his throat. And there she was, the Artimes that he had met before; the one that could always make him laugh no matter the situation. She sat up slowly, the Doctor's hands reaching out instantly to push her back down, but she just batted his hands away.

"You need to rest, Artimes." He pointed out, slightly irritated.

She needed to sleep in order to recover and here she was, pushing herself yet again. Dear God, the woman was proving to be more stubborn than he was…and that was saying something.

"How do you do it, Theta?" She asked suddenly, her hair covering her eyes and blocking her face from his view.

He frowned in confusion, his former irritation forgotten for a moment.

"Do what?" He countered.

"Make a choice between saving a life no matter the temporal fallout or letting that person die and preserving the future and the countless lives saved by that person's death." She clarified still not looking up.

"Is that the choice you have to make tonight?" He asked completely taken aback by the sheer weight of her query.

The Artimes he knew had always been so sure of what to do and had believed in herself, but this Artimes was so early in her own personal time stream that she was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

"Yes. Tonight, two people will die. One can be saved without affecting billions of lives, but the other…maybe I could take her place…maintain history but still save her life." Artimes answered solemnly.

His hearts quickened in pace as his fear rose. She was willing to sacrifice her life just to save a single person _and_ preserve the timeline?! He knew foreknowledge was dangerous and it seemed that she understood that as well, but for her to actually comprehend the responsibilities of maintaining time itself was impossible considering she was human and yet she was doing just that. Why? Why was he so afraid that she would go through with it? Why did the thought of losing the ginger woman terrify him so much? His mind quickly calculated the 'her' she had been referring to. It wasn't Rose and it wasn't herself, so it had to be the maid. What was her name…Gwyneth.

"You're talking about Gwyneth, aren't you?" He asked seeking clarification.

She nodded but still did not look up at him.

"You can't sacrifice your life here because I've seen your future selves in my past which means you don't die here." He stated confidently.

It was a perfectly sound analysis and the logic was quite compelling. He certainly hoped it was enough to deter her from the drastic and, quite frankly, destructive path she was contemplating.

"Time can be rewritten. You taught me that." She replied her voice barely above a whisper.

She was so damn stubborn! Why couldn't she see reason? He jerked her face towards him and was startled to see her crying, her eyes filled with such sadness and sorrow. His hearts ached at the sight and something clicked in his mind.

"I don't want you to die." He admitted the sincerity and honesty of those words startling himself.

He didn't want her to die. He wanted her to stay with him. He had lost his best friend to madness then death, lost companion after companion, he destroyed his own people, his planet burned before its time…he just couldn't lose anything else but especially not her. He was quite sure that it would kill him and he didn't understand why.

"But I can't let her die without doing something to try and save her." She replied her eyes and voice reflecting her desperation.

So noble, did she have to be that way? Of course she did, she wouldn't be his Artz if she wasn't.

"You can't save everyone, but you can give her the choice. Tell her what she needs to know and let her decide. Damn it, Artz! I've lost everything else. I can't lose you too!" He countered his tone revealing his own desperation and panic.

Her eyes widened as she just stared at him.

"You called me Artz." She commented in complete and total shock.

"What about it?" He asked not understanding the significance.

It obviously meant something to her. Did his future self refer to her as Artz? Why was it so important?

"In the future, you said only you can call me Artz and only I can call you Theta." She answered.

He smiled slightly on the inside. He now understood what her place was in his future. She had no idea that she had just given him the answer of who she was to him in the future. Any doubts he had about her faded away into nothingness. He leaned down and touched his forehead to hers.

"Don't die." He whispered.

Her shoulders slumped and she let out a breathy sigh, her eyes revealing that she wasn't fighting him anymore.

"For you, Theta, for you." She conceded.

* * *

The Doctor left Artimes to rest a little longer, his mind still reeling from the profound revelation he had just experienced. As it stood now, he cared for Artimes, a lot more than what should be possible considering that they hadn't spent much time together outside of life and death situations.

He was still frustrated that he didn't know where her knowledge came from but she was his Artz and she would tell him when it was time. He didn't like waiting but he couldn't rush her and it was obvious from what she had told him about what he had said in the future about her calling him Theta. It meant that she was someone he trusted completely, but more than that; it meant that he cared for her on a level so deep that he believed she had the right to call him by his true name.

He was still worried that she would try to save Gwyneth by sacrificing herself. Would she really go that far to save a woman she had only spoken two words to? No, he wouldn't allow her to die. He knew now what she was to him and he refused to let her die. He may not completely understand everything that was going but he swore an oath to himself that he would protect her and keep her safe. She needed to be there in his future and his past.

With that settled, he focused his mind on the slightly more pressing matter of the blue ghosts asking for help. He knew Gwyneth was the key to all this and he needed more information on these gas-like creatures. Did they really need help or was it just a trap? He couldn't ask Artimes because that might alter the timeline and more people could die. He made his way towards the kitchen and he overheard the girls talking.

"You're from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that. All those people rushing about. Half naked, for shame…and the noise…and the metal boxes racing past…and the birds in the sky, with people in them. People flying and you…you've flown so far, further than anyone but not nearly as far as the ginger lady, the one who holds such knowledge. The things you've seen…the golden light…the mighty phoenix…the darkness…the big bad wolf…" Gwyneth rambled before staggering backwards, afraid, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, miss!"

The Doctor felt his stomach drop. He had a horrible feeling about this night and he just knew that Artimes was going to be caught up in the middle of it. At least he knew how to get more information about the ghosts.

"S'alright…" Rose replied trying to comfort the maid.

"I can't help it, ever since I was a little girl. My mum said I had the sight. She told me to hide it!" She explained still very upset.

"But it's getting stronger. More powerful, is that right?" The Doctor asked causing the two women jump slightly at the sound of his voice.

"All the time, sir…every night, voices in my head." The maid answered slowly calming down.

He was right; Gwyneth was the key to all this and he was hesitant to continue, but if he didn't do this then time would be rewritten and if Artimes was right, it would destroy the future.

"You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the key." The Timelord concluded putting aside thoughts of the future and focusing on the moment.

He couldn't allow Artimes's foreknowledge to get in the way. He had to do this, but he didn't have to like it.

"I've tried to make sense of it, sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table wrappers, all sorts." Gwyneth continued.

He needed information and Gwyneth had just given him the perfect means of getting it. If he could find out what these creatures wanted then he could at least save someone, maybe even Gwyneth. With that thought in mind, he smiled slightly.

"Well, that should help. You can show us what to do." The Doctor replied.

"What to do where, sir?" She asked confused.

"We're going to have a séance." He answered his eyes lighting up with an idea.

He was going to change the future and preserve history. He didn't know how just yet, but he was going to. He had to, for Artimes's sake. She would never forgive herself if she let Gwyneth die so he was going to save her and maintain the timeline. He would prove to the red head that not only could time be rewritten, but that it could be rewritten in the right way, saving lives that normally would have been lost.

* * *

Lady A: Chapter 11 is complete. Sorry, if that got a little confusing. I was having some trouble wording it right and I think I confused myself. Anyways, the next chapter will have the séance but something isn't quite right and let's just say things get interesting between the Doctor and Artimes. Now leave tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 12: Summoning Wisdom! Stay tuned!


	12. TUD: Ch12: Summoning Wisdom

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Phoenix Saga: Origin! I apologize for this being later than expected but I got caught up in a DW story and lost track of time. *smiles sheepishly* Brief recap: The Doctor now knows what Artimes will be in his future and has finally decided to trust her. Moreover, the Doctor has gotten it into his head to rewrite time to try and save Gwyneth and prove to Artimes that time really can be rewritten to save lives. Looking forward: The séance is about to begin and (pardon my French) shit will hit the fan…in more ways than one. Let's find out what happens, shall we? On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Summoning Wisdom

* * *

The odd consortium of people gathered around a somewhat circular table, preparing to conduct a séance to summon the blue ghosts. Dickens was being a disbelieving prat and the Doctor was trying to convince the hesitant author to set aside his doubts and join them. Rose, on the other hand, was more concerned with the well being of the ginger haired time/space jumper. She was sitting next to the maid and holding both Gwyneth's and the Doctor's hands. The red head did not look good, but was still insisting on helping.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Rose asked again worriedly.

Artimes smiled softly at the blonde.

"I'm always alright, my beautiful and brilliant Rose." She answered winking at the blonde.

Rose sat back slightly, her face heating up from the ginger's compliments. She still wasn't used to the red head's constant flattering; though the ginger had always insisted that she only spoke the truth when it came to Rose's beauty and intellect. It was still hard to fathom that the red head believed in the blonde that much. Both girls fell silent as the Doctor instructed the maid to reach out.

"Speak to us. Are you there? Spirits? Come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden." Gwyneth called out, the hand holding Artimes's tightening in concentration and a little bit of fear.

Artimes ignored the tidbits of conversation floating around the table, choosing instead to focus on the strange sensation building up inside of her. There was a warm and comforting presence encompassing her mind, but the rest of her body felt like it was being invaded by ice. It was not particularly pleasant. In fact, it was starting to hurt and the red head realized, rather belatedly, that she was going to be possessed like Gwyneth by the creatures. The glacial like feelings shot through her like knives and internally she screamed in pain as three gas-like creatures appeared behind her and the maid.

"Great God! Spirits from the other side!" Sneed exclaimed completely in awe of what he was seeing.

"The other side of the universe." The Doctor corrected absentmindedly, his focus on Artimes.

Her posture was stiff and her hand was gripping his like a vice grip.

"Pity us. Pity the Gelth. There is so little time, help us." Gwyneth and Artimes spoke together, the Gelth using them as their mouth pieces to communicate.

Inside her head, Artimes was screaming, her body was no longer under her control. She felt the creature jab harshly at her mind, trying to claw its way into her thoughts and memories, but the warmth prevented its attempts each and every time. The red head was terrified and every time the creature didn't get what it wanted, it would create a backlash that rippled through the rest of her body. The pain was excruciating and she just wanted it to end.

* * *

The Doctor's apprehension was rising. Something was telling him that he needed to stop the séance immediately, but he needed information about the Gelth so he shoved it aside for the moment.

"What do you want us to do?" He asked his worry only increasing as he saw the tears beginning to form in the ginger's eyes.

Oh yes, something was wrong, very wrong. Time was of the essence and he needed to move things along quickly.

"The rift…take the girl to the rift. This one is too weak to make the bridge." The Gelth answered gesturing to Artimes as it spoke, "But this one, she can do it."

It motioned to the maid.

"What for?" The Doctor asked slightly relieved that the red head wouldn't be able to perform the task the Gelth wanted.

"We are so very few. The last of our kind. We face extinction." They answered.

The Doctor's hearts clenched, their words hitting very close to home for the lonely Timelord.

"Why, what happened?" The Doctor asked softly.

"Once we had a physical form like you, but then the war came." They answered.

The Doctor's hearts skipped a bit.

"War? What war?" Dickens asked.

"The Time War." They replied.

Rose the Doctor glanced at each other, knowing exactly what the Gelth were talking about. The Doctor looked away, guilt and regret filling his being.

"The whole universe convulsed. The time War raged, invisible to smaller species, but devastating to higher forms. Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous state." They explained.

So it was his fault that the Gelth were like this. His jaw clenched slightly as his guilt threatened to drown him, but then his eyes flickered to Artimes and a streak of anger flashed through him, burning away his guilt. Artimes was crying and she was crying silently, the pain in her eyes unlike anything he had ever witnessed before. They were hurting her, they were hurting his Artz.

"So that's why you need the corpses." The Doctor concluded trying to get his head back on straight.

He needed to hurry this up. He had to get Artimes away from the Gelth. He didn't know what they were doing to her, but he had to make it stop.

"We want to stand tall. To feel the sunlight. To live again. We need a physical form and your dead are abandoned. They're going to waste, give them to us." The Gelth requested.

So he needed to help the Gelth to assuage his guilt, help Artimes to keep him calm, and somehow prevent two people from dying while saving a dying species; blimey, he was busy tonight.

"But we can't!" Rose cried out, her revulsion to the idea written all over her face.

And contend with a self righteous human that was his companion? He was getting too old for this.

"Why not?" He snapped his control waning the longer Artimes was in pain.

"It's not…I mean, it's not…" Rose struggled unnerved by his gaze.

"Not decent? Not polite? It could save their lives." He replied his tone glacial.

The two stared at each other for a long moment.

"Open the rift. Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth!" They cried before disappearing and relinquishing their control over the two women.

Gwyneth collapsed onto the table, Rose immediately attending to the maid. Artimes, on the other hand, bolted from the room with a speed that was impressive for a human. The Doctor chased after the ginger haired woman. He found her in one of the side hallways, slightly hunched over and quaking like a leaf. He drew her into a tight hug as she sobbed quietly. Her stroked her back, trying to soothe her and hopefully make her warmer. Her encounter with the Gelth had set back her recovery and she was even colder than when she first arrived. It was like it had sucked all the heat right out of her body.

"What happened?" He asked as she quieted down a little.

"I couldn't move. I was completely powerless. It tried to get into my mind, but there was this warmth, this presence that kept them out. It hurt, it hurt so much…like thousands of ice shards stabbing me all at once. I was so scared, screaming in my mind…" She answered the words gushing out of her as she buried her head into his chest.

He pulled her back and held her face in his hands, brushing the tears away with his thumbs. He had never meant to put her through something like that and he never would again.

"The important thing is, is that they didn't get their hands on your foreknowledge and that means we still have the advantage, yeah?" He said smiling, trying to lighten the mood.

The anger that flashed through her eyes confused him, but not as much as when she jerked away from him and stared at him with a fury that actually frightened him.

"Advantage?! Stop talking like you're on a battlefield! This isn't the Time War! This universe doesn't need the Warrior of Gallifrey! It needs the Doctor! The word that means healer and wise man! Stop acting like a damn soldier, depending on strategy and information! Be a living, breathing being that has a heart that feels! Stop living in the past and see what you've got right in front of you!" She shouted falling to her knees.

She placed her hands over her face and sobbed uncontrollably, her entire body shaking from her emotions. The Doctor stood there looking down at her, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. He was completely stunned by her outburst, but at the same time, he wasn't. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but what she had said was right.

The Time War was still so fresh in his mind. Much of what he used to be, carried over into this regeneration. He was still very much like a warrior, a soldier, a fighter. He had tried so many times to go back to the man he once was before the war, but he could never seem to let it go. He didn't know how to be 'The Doctor' again. He didn't even know what it meant to be 'The Doctor' anymore. There was so much blood, so much death, so much sorrow, so much loss, and so much regret.

He knelt down in front of her, his eyes revealing how lost he was.

"I don't know how." He admitted quietly, his tone belying his vulnerability.

She lowered her hands to her lap as her face popped up to look at him, her expression filled with surprise and shock at his admission. He didn't know what it meant to be 'The Doctor' but he was certain that with her help, he could be 'The Doctor' again.

"But I think you can help me remember." He continued his tone gentle, his eyes warm and honest.

"How? How can I possibly help you remember? I'm no one, I'm nothing…just nothing." She replied in disbelief.

She was far from nothing and he was going to prove that to her. His mind was made up and there was nothing that could change it.

"You are far from nothing. You are my Artz." He countered sincerity and trust ringing in every word.

She smiled slightly at the sound of her nickname and a smile began to tug at his own lips.

"My Theta." She responded softly.

The two spent several moments staring into each other's eyes before embracing. Quiet laughter filled the hallway as the pair let their relief melt away the lingering tension between them. Thus was the humble beginning of the Doctor and his Artz, two souls that found peace in each other…if only for a moment.

* * *

Lady A: Voila! Chapter 12: Summoning Wisdom is complete! I told you things got crazy in this chapter! We got a little of Artimes's perspective in this chapter so that we could know what was going on in her head before and slightly during the séance. It was actually rather difficult getting the Doctor's emotions sorted through this chapter, but I think I did pretty well. Things will get a little emotional in the next chapter…okay, maybe not as explosive as the ending of this chapter but still pretty emotional. Coming Soon: Chapter 13: Cold Revelation! Leave tons of reviews and stay tuned!


	13. TUD: Ch13: Cold Revelation

Lady A: *dances into the room with a giant grin on her face* Surprise! Bet you were not expecting an update so soon, were ya?! I simply couldn't resist the keyboard any longer. It was beckoning me to type up the next chapter. *strikes a melodramatic pose* Looking forward: Things will be learned, a decision will be made, and Artimes is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Also, special shout out to JustThatOneYoutubeNerd that created the pairing name for this series. Theta + Artz = Thartz so this is a Thartz series! Now let's find out what is going on, shall we? On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Cold Revelation

* * *

Artimes and the Doctor returned to the den and it wasn't too long before Rose and the Timelord got into a rather heated debate about what to do about the Gelth. They were still debating, well more like arguing and there were occasional inserts from Dickens and Sneed. Artimes, herself, was focusing on the exhausted maid who seemed so lost and confused. The red head knelt down in front of Gwyneth, trying desperately to shove the images of the maid's future death from her mind and failing miserably.

The ginger haired woman did not want the dark haired lass to walk into her death with false hope and be completely oblivious to the lies being whispered to the maid by her so called 'angels', but how could you tell someone that they had to die to maintain the timeline, save countless lives, and that their 'angels' were lying through their metaphorical teeth. She didn't have the words and she was struggling internally to find them.

Gwyneth surprised her by taking both her hands in her own, causing the red head to look up at her.

"I understand, my lady." The maid said quietly, to avoid being overheard by the other four people in the room.

Artimes opened her mouth to reply, to say something…anything, but no words came. The images of the maid's death flowed through her mind like a never-ending reel on a projector, her emotions constricting her throat and preventing her from speaking.

"It's alright. I can see it clearly in your mind. You do not know the words to utter to warn of the danger that lies ahead, but you do not have to speak any for me. You wish for me to have a choice, not an obligation, but you also know that it must be done and if I refuse to do so then it falls on your shoulders to preserve the future and save so many lives by sacrificing yourself in my stead. This, I cannot allow. You must live, my lady, for you were born to save that which is impossible and that is what you must do. You cannot die here in this time and place. I won't let you." Gwyneth continued her voice steady and strong.

Artimes stared at her in awe and confusion, her voice coming back to her as she struggled to comprehend what the maid meant by her being born to save the impossible.

"What does that mean?" The red head asked tears beginning to build in her eyes yet again.

God, she was so tired of crying, but she just couldn't keep her emotions in check at the moment. She was barely holding herself together physically; emotionally was simply asking too much of her.

"You will understand one day, my lady. You travel with that wonderful man and save those he cannot. Just promise me one thing." The dark haired woman answered.

"Anything." The red head replied instantly.

"Remember me." She requested.

Tears flowed down the ginger's face at hearing those words. They were words she knew one day she would hear again, uttered by Clara Oswald inside the Doctor's tomb at the fields of Trenzalore. Those words made her heart ache in ways that she doubted anyone would understand. A woman ripped from the universe she was born in, her best friend never knowing her fate, her family never hearing from her again...probably not caring whether she lived or died considering they thought her to be useless and worthless, and the countless so called friends that had simply left her behind; she was someone that was always forgotten back in the other universe, with the exception of Mels but not here. Here in this universe, she meant something and she would make certain that Gwyneth would always be remembered.

"Yes. Yes, I will. I promise." Artimes replied giving the maid a watery smile.

Gwyneth wiped away the ginger's tears and smiled softly at her.

"Thank you for giving me the choice and for treating me as an equal, for showing kindness when no other would, but could you…" She started gesturing to the bickering pair a few feet away, "I doubt I would be able to stop them."

Artimes let out a weak laugh and dried the remainder of her tears.

"Leave everything to me, my wonderful and sweet Gwyneth." She replied standing up.

The red head rounded on the pair and glared hotly at the both of them.

"Shut up, both of you, NOW!" Artimes shouted drawing both their gazes to her instantly.

Rose was shocked that the red head had yelled at her and the Timelord stiffened under her unrelenting gaze. The ginger had no idea her eyes were glowing slightly with a reddish gold light. Both the Doctor and Rose kept their mouths shut, not wanting to anger her further.

"Rose, you need to be more open to alien cultures, races, and the plights of other species. Not all of them share the same values as you do and you need to stop showing how close minded humans can be!" Artimes snapped before turning to the slightly afraid Timelord, "And as for you, you need to remember that this isn't a war. We are not on a battlefield nor are we under attack. This is a rescue mission, plain and simple. Moreover, you need to get it through that thick skull of yours that humans can be compassionate, just as they can be aggressive and if you insist on seeing it as a military maneuver then look at this way, Rose and I are you advisors and a wise general would at least consider the advice of his counsel."

The ginger stopped to catch her breath, the reddish gold light fading from her eyes until it was gone, before continuing in a softer tone.

"Lastly, this is not a choice either one of you can make. This choice solely belongs to Gwyneth…" She continued and Rose opened her mouth to say something but Artimes cut her off, "…and before you start, Miss Tyler, she is well aware of what is going on and what is at stake. Furthermore, she understands the situation better than you do so shut it before I shut it for you."

Rose closed her mouth, her jaw clenched and her expression like that of a child who didn't get her way. The Doctor simply lowered his eyes to the floor, knowing what she said to be true and looking properly scolded. Artimes turned back to the slightly amused maid, her expression one of kindness.

"Now, whatever you decide, we shall abide by, my sweet and wonderful Gwyneth." The red head finished.

* * *

"They've been singing to me since I was a child, sent by my mum on a holy mission. I choose to help my angels, so tell me what I need to do." Gwyneth decided giving the ginger a small nod in thanks.

"You don't have to do anything, Gwyneth." The Doctor said quietly.

The Timelord was feeling a right amount of guilt and shame for trying to force the maid into helping the Gelth. Rose did have a point and Artimes had been right to call him out on not listening to them. He had told Artimes to give Gwyneth the choice and to tell her everything she needed to know in order to make that choice with a full understanding of the situation, but he wasn't giving up on trying to rewrite time. Perhaps he could convince the Gelth to go to another planet and leave the girl and the Earth in peace.

"Tell me what I need to do." The dark haired woman replied her tone holding a fair amount of authority, shocking just about everyone in the room…except for Artimes, who seemed hard pressed to hold back a smile.

"We need to find the rift. This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other. Mr. Sneed, what's the weakest part of the house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen?" The Doctor started immediately jumping into action.

"That would be the morgue." Sneed answered after a moment's thought.

"No chance you were going to say 'gazebo', was there?" Rose commented still annoyed with the red headed time/space jumper.

Everyone looked at her with the exception of Artimes, who was trying not to laugh at that statement. The Doctor watched the ginger woman walk over to the fireplace and pick up a cast iron fire poker. What did she need that for?

"This will do." She stated twirling it in her right hand like an expert.

Everyone stared at her in confusion and various degrees of incredulity…except for Gwyneth, who was seeing what Artimes had mapped out in her mind as her plan of action against the Gelth. Artimes smirked and let the poker rest on her right shoulder.

"Can't have a party without someone on the floor." She stated earning a small giggle from the dark haired maid.

The Doctor out right laughed, an incredulous smile on his face. The others just gaped at her like she had grown a second head.

* * *

The group headed down to the morgue, the Doctor in the lead. Artimes was keeping herself close to Gwyneth's master. She had only one shot to get it right and she couldn't afford to muck it up. To do so meant another life lost and the red head refused to let that happen.

"Talk about 'Bleak House'." The Doctor commented.

"You need a better joke book, dear." Artimes dead panned, earning a playful glare from the Timelord.

She simply smirked at him and he huffed in mock annoyance.

"The thing is, Doctor, the Gelth don't succeed because I know they don't. I know for a fact there weren't corpses walking around in 1869." Rose stated matter-of-factly.

There were times when Artimes really wanted to smack the blonde, but she had to let it go because Rose was still new to the whole time and space thing and obviously did not have the red head's knowledge when it came to spatial/temporal mechanics.

"You want to take that one, Artz?" He asked referring to their earlier conversation about time.

She couldn't quite keep her heart from skipping a beat when he said her nickname so casually. She mentally scolded herself for allowing her feelings to control her. She'd admit it, she had feelings for the Doctor but she simply couldn't act on them and that frustrated her. She pushed it aside in lieu of answering Rose's question.

"Time's in flux, Rose. It's changing every second. The world you know could be rewritten in an instant." Artimes explained simply paraphrasing the Doctor's DW counterpart even though she really wanted to use Ten's version of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff.

It's dirty well that version. She grinned internally remembering the full explanation from the episode _Blink_. She was kinda missing Ten now, but she supposed it was to be expected considering he was the first version of the Doctor she had met in this universe. She still couldn't understand why he had kissed her like that. She was snapped out of her thoughts by the Doctor's sharp remark.

"Nothing is safe. Remember that, nothing." The Doctor snapped.

"Oi, rude." The red head scolded quietly.

The Timelord sighed softly, knowing she was right, but wasn't going to apologize for it. The man was just all sorts of stubborn.

"Doctor, I think the room is getting colder." Dickens commented his voice shaking slightly from either the cold or the fear she knew he was feeling.

She glanced at Sneed who was being eerily quiet. The phrase 'silent as the grave' would probably be an adequate description for the undertaker. Under normal circumstances, she would be really creeped out by the middle aged man.

"Here they come." Rose stated quietly.

The Gelth flooded into the room, swirling about a bit. Their leader positioned itself in the archway. Artimes attempted the swallow the lump in her throat, dreading what was to come.

"You have come to help! Praise the Doctor! Praise him!" It exclaimed, it's voice sounding very much like a child's.

Artimes shuddered under the onslaught of emotions crashing over her like waves. She had a feeling the Gelth were projecting their so called emotions of helplessness and desperation to make the Timelord feel sympathy and pity for them. No wonder the Doctor had been so inclined to help them, given he, no doubt, had a heightened mental awareness…being a Timelord and all.

The temperature was steadily dropping from the Gelth's presence and the ginger's limbs was starting to freeze. She tried hard to ignore the knot in her stomach, knowing that it was being formed by her own fear. This was only her second time facing down monsters and she wasn't bloody fricking Wonder Woman! She had every right to be terrified of these blue ghosts!

"Promise you won't hurt her!" Rose demanded.

She could kiss the blonde for that statement. It was exactly what needed to be said.

"Hurry! Please, so little time. Pity the Gelth." It begged.

And, oh how they conveniently ignored the blonde's demand? Blimey, anyone else smell a set up here?

"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer, somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, alright?" The Doctor bargained but did not receive a reply.

That should have been a big whopping clue for you, you big dumbo! Artimes internally face palmed at the Timelord's idiocy. What the hell was he thinking? She had warned him about this, that people were going to die and yet he was still going through with it?!

"My angels, I can help them live." Gwyneth stated but not in the happy, almost joyous tone from the show, but rather a resigned tone filled with resolve and determination.

"Okay, where's the weak point?" The Doctor asked moving things along.

Artimes felt another presence touch her mind, easing her frozen and stiff limbs. She looked around and locked eyes with the dark haired maid.

'Thank you, my lady.' Gwyneth's voice whispered in her mind, making Artimes go wide eyed in shock.

She hadn't expected the maid to be able to communicate with her on that level. Gwyneth's eyes were warm and apologetic. Artimes had to fight down the sob rising in her chest when she realized that it was the woman's way of apologizing for everything that had happened and for the pain Gwyneth's choice was going to put her through. The red head nodded in acceptance and Gwyneth smiled softly in return.

"Here, beneath the arch." The Gelth answered.

Gwyneth walked boldly into the archway and turned to face them.

"Beneath the arch." Gwyneth repeated.

Rose rushed to the dark haired woman.

"You don't have to do this." The blonde pleaded.

Artimes knew that nothing would change the maid's mind and moreover, this had to happen. There was no other way around it and it made the red head want to collapse into tears, curl into a ball, and simply disappear. Gwyneth placed her hands on Rose's cheeks, a small smile on her face.

"My beloved phoenix needs me." She stated with absolute certainty.

Rose staggered back, highly confused by the maid's words. Artimes, herself, was frowning deeply at the statement. That wasn't what Gwyneth was supposed to say. She was supposed to say 'My angels' so why did she say something about a phoenix. How did a phoenix, a mythical creature born from its own ashes that comes alive again and again, have anything to do with what was going on here in Cardiff 1869? She would have to think about it later. She shook her head clear and prepared herself for the other shoe to drop. Things were about to get really crazy and a whole hell of a lot more dangerous.

* * *

Lady A: Tada! Chapter 13: Cold Revelation is complete! What was the phoenix Gwyneth was talking about? What does it have to do with the Gelth and the rift? Why did this phoenix need her? What does it all mean? You'll just have to wait and see. Keep a lookout for Chapter 14: Golden Phoenix! Leave tons of reviews and stay tuned! Thartz…God, I love that! *giggles like mad*


	14. TUD: Ch 14: Golden Phoenix

Lady A: *sneaks quietly into the room, trying to be stealthy* Surprise! *turns on the lights and grins like a mad woman* Another update so soon?! That's right! We're coming to the end of _The Unquiet Dead_ and soon will be hitting the filler chapters before heading off to meet the Eleventh Doctor and his companion, Clara Oswald in _Journey to the Center of the Tardis_.

Brief recap: Artimes and Gwyneth had a little heart to heart and the maid reveals that the red head was born to save that which is impossible. Short time later, the group prepare themselves for the Gelth's arrival in the morgue.

Looking forward: Why did Artimes need that fire poker? How will the trio of time travelers handle the truth about the Gelth? Moreover, how will they save the Earth and more importantly, themselves? Let's find out, shall we? On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Golden Phoenix

* * *

Artimes gripped the fire poker in her right hand much tighter as she watched in horror as the bridge was made. Gwyneth's mouth opened releasing Gelth after Gelth, but there was quite a few more than just a few and things were getting out of hand very, very quickly.

"The bridge is open! We descend!" The Gelth leader exclaimed triumphantly, "The Gelth will come through in force!"

The demure and seemingly innocent blue creature transformed into a demonic flaming red one, it's face a thing from nightmares and horror stories.

"You said you were few in number!" Charles exclaimed quickly becoming overwhelmed by this dangerous and fantastical realm he had been pulled into.

"A few billion and all of us in need of corpses." The demonic ghost responded its tone rippling with malcontent.

Artimes tried not buckle under the weight of the Gelth's dark emotions. It felt like the very air was pressing down on her and her mind was heavy from the emotional onslaught. The Gelth zoomed about, taking possession of the corpses in the morgue and they began to rise. Sneed finally spoke and tried to reason with the dark haired maid.

The corpses made to grab him and break his neck, but Artimes jumped into action before they could. She slammed the poker into their heads, forcing several of them to stagger back. This allowed the red head the opportunity to drag the terrified undertaker away from the recovering corpses and push him towards Rose, who immediately took charge of the poor man. Dickens finally reached his limit and bolted from the room, leaving the four of them on their own.

Rose and Sneed made their way to a small dungeon door, which the Doctor opened and the three went inside the small room to escape the Gelth. Artimes was still reeling from the Gelth's mental onslaught, so much so that she dropped the poker to the floor. She staggered a bit before trying to make it to the others. She was stopped halfway by one of the corpses grabbing her cloak from behind. The clasped front was yanked up towards her neck and pressed heavily on her throat, slowly strangling her.

"Artimes!" Rose cried out in alarm.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the clasp. The sonic emissions disengaged the clasp, allowing the red head to escape and dash into the small room, slamming the door shut behind her. Artimes pressed her back to the wall, trying to steady herself. Sneed was to her left, the Doctor to her right, and Rose on the other side of the Doctor.

"Are you alright?" The Doctor demanded his tone filled with worry and a slight edge of panic.

"What's an attempted murder amongst friends, right?" Artimes croaked rubbing her throat.

She was pretty certain she would have a bruise there later. Thank God for sonic screwdrivers and quick thinking Timelords. The Doctor laughed slightly, relief on his face and in his eyes.

"Of all times to make jokes." Rose snapped her fear and worry getting the better of her.

Artimes opened her mouth to respond but what was caught off by the Gelth leader, whom she glared at with anger.

"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives for the Gelth." The leader ordered.

Artimes glanced at the dark haired maid standing in the arch, her chest tightening in pain, loss, guilt, and regret. Her jaw clenched as she forced herself to look back at the demonic ghost.

"I promised the Doctor that I wouldn't. Not going back on that now." The red head replied ignoring the emotions that threatened to tear her apart.

How could the Doctor cope with this day after day, for so many years? She held a new found respect for the last Timelord. She had to be strong, for him…the man who was broken by an impossible choice. She needed to keep it together just a little bit longer. She could do that, right?

"I trusted you! I pitied you!" The Doctor shouted angry, both at the Gelth and himself.

Artimes grasped the Timelord's left hand with her right one and gave it a gentle squeeze, reminding him that she was there for him. He glanced down at her, his eyes meeting hers, and he calmed down a little.

"We don't want your pity! We want this world and all its flesh." The Gelth spat.

The corpses came closer to the door and began rattling and shaking the metal, trying to get in to kill them.

"Not while I'm alive." The Doctor stated coldly, much colder than his DW counterpart which made the red head a little worried.

"Then live no more." The leader replied unperturbed by his statement.

Rose finally lost what little cool she had and was starting to panic.

"But I can't die!" The blonde started looking up at the Doctor for reassurance, "Tell me I can't! I haven't even been born yet, it's impossible for me to die! Isn't it?!"

"I'm sorry." The Doctor stated sincerely.

"If it's any consolation, Rose, I'm not even from this universe and from a world with a timeline slightly ahead of this one. Year 2015 here." Artimes shared shrugging and trying to lighten the mood.

"I've learned more about you in the last hour than I have in the entire time we've known each other." The Doctor commented in disbelief.

"Really need to remedy that." The ginger muttered, the Timelord nodding in agreement.

"But it's bloody 1869, how can I die now?!" Rose exclaimed.

"Time isn't a straight line, believe me I know. I'm living proof of that. Time can twist and turn into any shape or form." Artimes explained.

"You can be born in the twentieth century and die in the nineteenth and it's all my fault. I brought you here." The Doctor finished his tone one of regret and dejection.

Rose's eyes softened at that statement and her panic subsided for a moment.

"It's not your fault. I wanted to come." The blonde placated softly.

"And I knew the danger associated with your life and chose to follow you regardless." The red head concurred.

The Doctor seemed thoughtful for a moment before a thought occurred to him.

"What about me? I saw the fall of Troy, World War Five. I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party. Now I'm going to die in a dungeon!" The Doctor rambled a horrified expression appearing on his face, "In Cardiff!"

Artimes couldn't help the snort of amusement at his little rant, despite being scared out her mind. He sounded like a total child and it was rather adorable.

"It's not just dying. We'll become one of them." Rose stated pointing out the obvious.

Artimes rolled her eyes then suddenly remembered the undertaker. She glanced over at the middle aged man. His eyes were wide with terror and fear, his body trembling. She may have saved his life, but she was starting to wonder if his sanity was going to stay intact after this. The man was far too quiet for her liking and she was tempted to pinch him to get some kind…any kind of reaction out of him. She didn't get her chance to act on such a childish notion because Rose spoke again.

"We'll go down fighting, yeah?" The blonde asked.

The red head turned back towards the pair.

"Yeah." The Doctor answered.

"Together?" Rose asked the ginger haired woman.

"I've got nothing better to do." The red head replied smiling at her blonde companion.

The Doctor linked his right hand with Rose's left and gave a gentle squeeze to the ginger's hand.

"I'm so glad I met you." The Doctor said sincerely, looking down at the blonde.

Rose looked up at him in surprise and Artimes glanced down at her feet, trying not to feel disappointed. That was the way things should be. There wasn't a place for her.

"Both of you." He continued shifting his gaze to the red head.

Artimes's head snapped up, her expression one of shock and surprise. She hadn't been expecting to be included, but the look in his eyes was so warm and sincere that it made her heart pick up speed and pound in her chest.

"Me too." Rose concurred smiling at the stunned red head.

Artimes snapped out her shock as she remembered what was suppose to occur next and a silly grin made its way onto her face, causing the Doctor and Rose to look at her in confusion.

"I'm glad I met Charles Dickens." The ginger stated her grin falling into a knowing smirk.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he realized what Artimes was saying; however, the blonde wasn't quite as quick as the Timelord.

"What?!" Rose asked in outrage, "Why?!"

At that very moment, as if to answer the blonde's question, the British author burst into the room and began turning off the flames in the gas lamps and cranking up the gas.

"That's why! I can't believe I let Gelth get to me so much…stupid emotions." Artimes replied grinning at the author.

"Doctor! Turn off the flame, turn up the gas! Now fill the room, all of it now!" The writer ordered.

The Doctor looked confused for a moment so Artimes decided to hurry things up a little.

"Doctor, the Gelth control the bodies because of the gases created during decomposition. More gas, forced evac." She started.

The Doctor's eyes lit up, seeing where she was going with this.

"Of course, fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host. Suck them into the air like poison from a wound!" The Timelord exclaimed excitedly.

"Doctor, here!" Artimes directed, pointing to the main gas line situated in between them.

"Plenty more!" He shouted ripping it from the wall.

Got to love the strength of a Timelord body. She should be afraid of that kind of strength but she knew the Doctor's heart…or should she say hearts. He would never hurt someone he cared for or innocent people. He was the savior of worlds for a reason. She was snapped out of her thoughts as the Gelth screamed and wailed as they were forced out of the bodies and into the air. The bodies dropped, leaving the blue ghosts to swirl in the air above them. The four emerged from the little dungeon and Artimes immediately focused on getting Rose out of the morgue. She pushed the blonde towards Sneed and Dickens.

"I'm not leaving her." Rose snapped beginning to choke on the gas.

"Get out now, Rose. I won't leave while she is still in danger. Let me handle this. Sneed, Charlie, get her out!" The red head ordered.

Charles and Sneed dragged the blonde from the room and Artimes turned around slowly.

"Gwyneth! Send them back! They lied, they're not angels." The Doctor informed in a rush.

The ginger stared at the dark haired maid, her emotions surging to surface once more.

"I know." The maid answered.

This was her fault. She did this…she made this happen. Gwyneth's blood was on her hands. How could she ever hope to redeem herself for this? Was this the kind of person she was…the person who sacrificed other people just so she wouldn't die? Artimes walked to the Doctor's side.

* * *

"Then send them back." The Timelord ordered stunned that the maid had known that they were liars yet still walked into the archway.

"She can't. They're too strong, but she can hold them." Artimes informed quietly, her eyes shimmering with tears.

Gwyneth pulled out a box of matches from her apron pocket. The Doctor glanced down at Artimes. He could see every emotion in her sapphire blue eyes. She was breaking apart at the seams, her will was faltering. He had tried to rewrite time for her, only for it to happen anyways. Now Artimes was paying the price, a price she should have never had to pay. He failed her.

"Save the impossible, my lady." The maid stated drawing his attention back to the dark haired woman.

What did she mean 'save the impossible'?

"I don't know what that means. Please Gwyneth, I'm trying to understand." Artimes pleaded the tears she had been holding at bay, slipping down her cheeks once more.

His hearts were breaking, seeing her cry like that. Why? Why couldn't he change it? Why couldn't have spared her this pain?

"You already know the answer, my lady. You just need to find it. Now run, leave this place! Run you clever girl and remember me!" Gwyneth replied.

The Doctor watched the red head's heart shatter at those words as her heart wrenching sobs reached his ears. Those words meant something to her and that something hurt her more than anything else. Artimes ran from the room, not looking back. The Doctor turned back to Gwyneth.

"I'm sorry, Gwyneth." The Doctor whispered after he checked for a pulse.

She was dead, had been for several minutes and Artimes had known. That was why she ran. There was nothing they could have done for her. He kissed the woman's forehead.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered his sorrow evident.

Gwyneth looked up at him and their eyes met.

"Look how the golden phoenix shines in the burnt orange sky." She stated and his eyes grew wide.

He ran from the room, the maid's words echoing in his head and his hearts pounding in his chest.

"Oh my beloved phoenix, thank you." Gwyneth said to the now empty room.

* * *

The Doctor found Artimes hunched over and coughing in the main hallway. He grabbed her about the waist and dragged her towards the front door. The pair dived out of the door just as the house exploded. The Doctor brought the red head to her feet and held onto her so she wouldn't collapse. Rose gave them a look, clearly asking why the dark haired maid was not with them.

"She didn't make it." Rose whispered heartbroken.

"I'm sorry. She closed the rift." Artimes apologized her voice hollow.

The Doctor didn't like how the red head's voice sounded. It meant she was far worse off than he thought.

"At such a cost. The poor child." Dickens commented as the ginger released the Doctor, her head lowering so that her hair covered her eyes.

"We did try, Rose, but Gwyneth was already dead. She had been for at least five minutes." The Doctor started.

"What do you mean?" The blonde asked confused.

"I think she was dead the minute she stood in that arch." The Timelord continued glancing at the completely silent red head.

What could he say? What could he do to make it easier for her the ginger haired woman? He honestly didn't know.

"But…she can't have, she spoke to us, she helped us, she saved us. How could she have done that?" Rose demanded and the Timelord gave her a look that said he didn't know the answer.

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Even for you, Doctor." Dickens commented solemnly.

Sneed had apparently vanished before the Doctor and Artimes had escaped the house, so only the four of them watched flames as they licked at the sky.

"She saved the world, a servant girl. No one will ever know." Rose said sadly.

The Doctor watched as Artimes turned and walked away from the blazing inferno, his hearts aching. He had said he would rewrite time and he failed. Now she was suffering and all because he had been too thick and allowed the Gelth to manipulate his emotions. He had to find some way of helping her, but he simply didn't know how. He stayed with Rose and Dickens though every fiber of his being wanted to rush after her and hold her in his arms and make the world disappear. He decided then and there that he would always listen to Artimes no matter what and he would do whatever it took to see her smile again.

* * *

Lady A: Chapter 14: Golden Phoenix is over. *sniffles* Sorry, I came close to crying while typing this, but the next chapter will be far, far worse and you might want to have a box of tissues handy for Chapter 15: Crying Soul. Leave reviews and stay tuned. *sniffles again*


	15. TUD: Ch 15: Crying Soul

Lady A: *walks in, crosses her arms, and glares at her keyboard* Stop calling to me, you blasted thing! *gets into a staring contest with her laptop* Ugh! *throws up her hands in defeat* Fine! I'll type up the next chapter, but then I have to get back to _Dalek_. I need to be a least two episodes ahead in the hand written draft before I can post again, so quit calling me and let me get this over with it!

Right, hello readers! Welcome back to Phoenix Saga: Origin! This is technically the end of _The Unquiet Dead_ but most of it is filler stuff. I am bowing to the whims of my keyboard and typing this up sooner rather than later. Be advised that you may want to grab a box of tissues for this chapter because it is majorly rough.

Brief recap: The blue ghosts were, in fact, liars but Gwyneth already knew because of our favorite time/space jumper. Moreover, the Doctor was told something he didn't understand, but pushes it aside because of how heartbroken he is about failing to rewrite time for Artimes.

Looking forward: The Doctor and Rose say goodbye to Charles Dickens and then shit hits the fan again. Emotions run high and everything metaphorically explodes, leaving us with a remorseful and guilty Rose Tyler, a shattered and exhausted Artimes Blaine, and last but not least, a heartbroken yet determined Timelord. Let's find out what happened to cause all this chaos, shall we? On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Crying Soul

* * *

Artimes returned to the Tardis long before Rose and the Doctor, her feet moving on auto pilot. She proceeded to get cleaned up and dressed. Outfit of choice, but actually chosen by the Tardis; dark blue jeans, a navy blue shirt, crimson leather jacket, and the black converse she wore from before. She weaved her hair into a single, long braid and tied it off with a pony tail holder.

She stopped and stared into the mirror and saw a pale white stranger with dull blue eyes. She touched the glass in confusion, but the illusion didn't shatter. That was really her…she looked like something from a zombie flick. She looked down at her hands, remembering how Gwyneth had held her hands and told her that it was alright, that she understood why she had to die.

Pain lanced through her chest and she stumbled away from the mirror and into a wall. She was the one who convinced the maid to give up her life. It was all her fault…she was responsible for that woman's death. Guilt, remorse, and regret clawed at her insides making her feeling sick to her stomach. Why?! Why did she let her do it?! She should have stopped her! It should have been her!

She whimpered as her sorrow sent her to her knees, her breathing rapid and shallow. It should have been her. She shouldn't have let Gwyneth die. She didn't do a single to stop it. Worse still, she made it happen quicker and she robbed the maid her brief illusion that the Gelth were angels sent by her mother. She was so horrible, a monster veiled in smiles and kindness. She sent that woman to her death, an innocent human being died because of her. She was nothing but a selfish and cruel creature. She was no better than the Gelth.

The warmth in her mind pulsed, breaking through chaotic and rampaging emotions. It was just enough for the red head to shut everything down. Her face went blank and her eyes became hollow. The warmth tried to coax her feelings back out but Artimes had locked them up completely. She was just an empty shell now, void of the light that once shined from within her. She rose to her feet as if nothing had transpired and made her way to the console room. She paused a moment upon hearing the voices of her companions.

"Doesn't the change history if he writes about blue ghosts?" Rose asked.

Artimes silently joined them, ignoring the Timelord's worried filled glance in her direction.

"In a week's time it's 1870 and that's the year he dies. Sorry, he'll never get to tell his story." The Doctor said quietly, shifting his attention back to the blonde.

"Oh no! He was so nice." Rose replied her tone sad.

"But in your time, he was already dead! We've brought him back to life! He's more alive than he's ever been, old Charlie boy. Let's give him one last surprise." The Doctor responded hitting a button on the console and the engines revved up.

Rose and the Doctor smiled as they watched Dickens' face when the Tardis disappeared before his eyes. Artimes simply stared blankly at the screen, not feeling anything. Once they were on their way, Rose took notice of the completely silent red head.

"You were quick to leave, weren't ya?" Rose snapped slightly approaching the ginger haired woman.

The Doctor glanced at Artimes, his brows furrowing as he took in her current state.

"Rose, don't." He said softly.

Artimes looked at the blonde, her dull eyes completely void of all emotion. Her expression never changed and she didn't even blink as Rose took a step closer to her.

"You always seem to know what's going on, so I'm gonna ask you this once. Did you know what was going to happen tonight?" She asked her anger rising as the red head simply stared at her.

The Doctor's eyes were full of worry and small amount of panic at the ginger's continued emotionless state.

"Rose, stop." He tried again, a bit more persistently.

"Yes." The red head answered ignoring the Timelord's protests.

"Did you know that Gwyneth was going to die?" The blonde continued her anger and grief making her deaf to her Timelord companion.

"Yes." Artimes answered in that same hollow tone.

"Then why didn't you stop it? Why didn't you save her?" Rose snapped fully pissed off.

"She had to die to maintain the timeline. Stopping it would have resulted in a temporal cascade and thus unraveling the very fabric of the space/time continuum. Her death guaranteed that the future you know would still be there." The red head answered with stone cold logic and in that same hollow tone.

Before the Doctor could even think of stopping her, Rose raised her left hand and slapped Artimes across the right side of her face, making the ginger's head turn from the impact.

"You didn't care at all! She was living, feeling human being! You're just a heartless bitch, only out for yourself! What kind of monster would allow an innocent woman to die like that?!" Rose screamed before rushing out of the room.

The barrier holding Artimes's emotions back shattered and she slumped to her knees. She was so completely overwhelmed by her own emotions that she didn't feel it when the Doctor knelt in front of her and wrapped his arms around her. She knew someone was screaming and only when he buried her face into his chest, did she realize that she was the one screaming. He did his best to muffle her soul shattering screams and kept her close as everything inside her spilt out unrestrained and unfiltered.

* * *

Several hours later, Rose returned to the control room, having sorted out her own emotions and wanting to find the red head so she could apologize for what she had said and done. She had never meant to do that, but she had just lost it and she sounded crazy for thinking it, but something warm had pushed inside her head and compelled her to strike the ginger woman. She didn't know why but the moment she had calmed down, she had instantly regretted the action and the horrible words she had spoken.

The blonde stopped when she the Doctor kneeling on the floor, holding a sobbing and screaming Artimes to his chest. Rose's heart broke at the sight, her guilt intensifying. She knew…she knew that it wasn't that red head didn't care, it was because she cared too much. Artimes saw the universe through her heart, through her very soul and that soul screaming in sorrow.

Rose approached slowly, tears in her eyes and an apology on her face. The Doctor looked up at her and saw that she truly was sorry and signaled her over. Rose immediately knelt down in front of the pair and reached hesitantly towards the ginger woman, afraid she would recoil from her, but the red head surprised her. She must have sensed her presence because Artimes's left arm shot up for Rose's hands and dragged the blonde to her. The heartbroken and helpless pair curled around the distraught woman, trying to ease her shattered heart.

* * *

After many hours, Artimes finally fell asleep, completely and totally drained both physically and emotionally. Rose told him about the warmth in her mind that had made her hit the red head and he realized that it was the Tardis trying to break Artimes out the shell she had created. He told Rose as much but she was still feeling guilty about it so he told her to get some sleep. She went off to her bedroom and crashed pretty quickly.

The Doctor lifted the unconscious red head into his arms and carried her bridal style to his room, with a little assistance from the Tardis, who was manipulating passageways and opening doors to make it a quicker journey. He put her to bed, pulling off her jacket and shoes, and tucked her in properly. He sat next to her on the bed and watched her sleep.

There was no denying it now. The nine hundred year old Timelord had completely misjudged the true depth of the ginger woman's heart. She had been broadcasting her feelings while she had cried and there was no longer any doubt in his mind. Artimes possessed a kindness and compassion that put every living thing to shame and him, being a complete and total idiot, had tried to reject that kindness. He could never doubt her again and he would protect her exceptionally pure heart from all the darkness and evils of the universe.

What he went through in the control room was something he, himself, had lived through when he had destroyed his people and his planet. He never thought he would feel that way again, and yet he had, but it felt so much worse than before. How could one tiny, little human care so much for someone they knew so little about? Artimes had cared for Gwyneth like she was family, closer than family. She had loved the maid and blamed herself for the woman's death; even though she did everything in her power to stop it from happening.

She had warned him that people were going to die that night, had revealed that the Gelth couldn't be trusted after what they had done to her during the séance, saved a man's life; risking her own in the process, and even told Gwyneth about what was to come, who the Gelth actually were, and that there was another option than going to her death; though it would have meant that Artimes would have died instead of Gwyneth.

She had done so much that night and what the hell did he do? He put Rose in danger, nearly got Artimes killed four times, was duped by blue ghosts resulting in the death of Gwyneth, and made a house explode, leaving the missing undertaker homeless in the middle of winter. He was so emotionally raw from the entire thing and all he could do for the ginger was to hold on to her as she shattered; feeling all her guilt, remorse, anger, regret, anguish, pain, sorrow, loneliness, despair, loss, and her unwavering kindness, compassion, and love. So many powerful emotions and all coming from a single heart that was like no other in the cosmos.

He couldn't go through that again. He wasn't strong enough to handle something like that again, the pain was simply too much. This tiny, little human had reminded him that he was a broken man in a broken universe and that there were people and planets that needed saving, that needed 'The Doctor'. He also knew that he couldn't do it alone, but he was lucky that he had a certain jeopardy friendly, ginger haired woman that bounced around his personal timeline. He vowed to do whatever was necessary to make her smile all the time. He wanted her to laugh, crack jokes, be filled with awe, be fantastically brilliant, and simply be happy.

The Doctor removed his shoes and jacket and joined Artimes under the covers. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, inhaling her scent which was very much like the night jasmine that bloomed near his child hood home on Gallifrey. He drifted to sleep and for the first time since the Time War, he slept soundly and peacefully. His dreams were completely free of his usual nightmares and replaced with ones of a ginger haired woman running through a field of red grass, the twin suns making her hair shine with a golden light.

* * *

Lady A: *wipes tears from her eyes* Chapter 15: Crying Soul is complete. Blimey, that was rough and I added more to it than I had originally written. *sniffles* Anyways, leave lots and lots of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 16: Family History! Stay tuned!


	16. Chapter 16: Family History

Lady A: *walks into the room and places her hands on her hips* Alright so I lied. I have yet to finish the hand written version of _Dalek_, but I just couldn't leave you hanging that long. I've got two other stories I'm trying to do while doing this one as well. The first is Guardian Saga: Seeker. It is a Doctor Who story, but with a linear time stream. Also, it starts from a few months before Christmas Invasion, so sorry to all you Nine lovers. The second story is Rise of the Dragonwitch and it's a Merlin story. However, it takes place before the Great Purge, which is twenty years before the actual series. So if you want to read want is taking up my time then there you go.

Brief Recap: Artimes went slightly crazy and shut down her emotions. The Tardis didn't like that and planted a suggestion in Rose's mind to slap our favorite time/space jumper. The end result being a guilty Rose, a shattered Artimes, and a helpless Doctor. The Doctor realized just how much of an idiot had been and has decided to never doubt the red head ever again.

Looking Forward: Artimes mentioned that they needed to remedy the problem about The Doctor not knowing much about her, so those two are going to have a little heart to heart while the Doctor shows her the Tardis. Will certain secrets be revealed? And if so, how will the Doctor react? Will he believe her or think she is crazy? What about the possibility of foreknowledge? Is it foreknowledge or just fiction? Let's find out, shall we?

On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Family History

* * *

Artimes had been on the Tardis for almost two weeks, much to her surprise considering she had jumped from Ten almost immediately. The Doctor had insisted that they didn't land anywhere until the red head was fully recovered and well rested. Rose had agreed to the Timelord's edict almost instantly, her guilt for slapping the ginger haired woman and saying such horrible things driving her to overcompensate as an apology.

Artimes wouldn't have minded staying on the Tardis if she hadn't been forced to stay in bed for six days. The Doctor had refused to let her off of bed rest and even threatened to strap her down in the med bay unless she complied. In the end, she did what he had asked because she had seen how worried he was. He hadn't shown it on his face, but it was definitely present in his eyes.

That was another thing. The Doctor's behavior surprised her quite a lot. He had been attentive, gentle, and all around gentlemanly which was making her very confused. Ten had clearly stated that his Ninth regeneration had been snappish towards her and even Rose had said that this regeneration had been suspicious of her, but this wasn't what the red head had been seeing.

Either her definitions of snappish and suspicious are completely different from Rose and Ten's or something she had said or done in Cardiff has altered the Doctor so profoundly to account for his sudden change in demeanor. Had she somehow rewritten time or was it always meant to happen this way? Ten had said that Cardiff 1869 had been a turning point for them and in the right direction. Was this what he had meant?

After quite a while, she simply gave up trying to figure it out and just rolled with it. She wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth and she liked being with a nice Nine. She wondered what she did to him that made him snappish towards her in the first place. She would just apologize and tell him anything he wanted to know as an apology, even if he did think of her as crazy later.

* * *

After that first week, The Doctor finally released her from the torture of bed rest and was currently giving her the official tour of the Tardis, since according to him, she didn't get one the first two times they had met which she wagered was Earth 2005 and Platform One.

"Tell me about your family." He requested his left arm looped with her right as they meandered down one of the Tardis hallways.

She glanced up at him briefly.

"Not much to tell really. Mum, Dad, uncles, I think an aunt or two, my grandmother and her husband, and I have an elder brother named Trinity. I hadn't really spoken to them in over three years and Trin, well that was closer to six years." She replied honestly.

The Doctor frowned.

"You were on your own for three years? Didn't you have any friends or maybe a flat mate?" He asked.

"I wasn't alone during those three years. I had this friend…well my only friend to be truthful. Her name was Melody, but I called her Mels. She saved my life when she and I first met, nearly hit by a car that had come out of nowhere. She stayed with me from that day on and it was her that convinced me to Cardiff rather than London, something to do about how London had the highest crime rate in all of the British Isles." She answered smiling slightly.

"What was she like?" He asked genuinely curious.

"She was the greatest; strong, brave, confident, brilliant, noble. I think the word valiant would also apply to her, honorable too. She knew swordplay, martial arts, and was a weapon's expert. Damn, that woman could fight, but she did so only as a last resort and only in the most dangerous situations. Funny thing is, I kinda look like her now…physically I mean. She had red hair and blue eyes, just shy of six feet. I always felt like such a midget standing next to her." The red head answered laughing at the thought of how short she used to be and the memory of her pouting at Mels because she was taller.

"She meant a lot to you." The Doctor stated rather than asked, his tone quiet and a little forlorn.

Artimes smiled sadly and leaned her head against his arm for a moment.

"Yeah. She never let me give up. Time and again she would say I was brilliant and amazing. She said that I would save many with the power of my heart and to never stop being kind and forgiving. She protected me from people who sought to take advantage of my kindness and even taught me how to defend myself." She replied straightening back up.

"Explains your expertise with blunt instruments." The Doctor commented remembering how she had felt off the Gelth with a fire poker.

Artimes chuckled softly at that statement.

"I'm sorry." She said after moment of silence.

The Doctor looked down at her in confusion.

"For what?" He asked perplexed by the sudden apology.

"For whatever it was that I will say or do that made you defensive about me. I've only ever wanted to be your friend, Theta." She answered sincerity ringing in every word.

He sighed heavily. He knew it was only a matter of time before she started blaming herself for something. Gwyneth's death had hit her hard and she was prone to blaming herself even if it wasn't her fault.

"It wasn't that I didn't like you. It was just because you kept side stepping my questions. You said the word 'spoilers' quite a few times and there is your knowledge of my past and future, things you shouldn't know…that no one knows but me like my name. It frustrates me and I will admit that it made me less than friendly towards you in the past, but you did kind of drop it on me like a bucket of ice water. I'm just tired of being confused and always in the dark." He countered staring off into the hallway.

The hand wrapped around his arm tightened, forcing him to stop walking.

"If you want to know the answer then I will tell you." She started causing him to look down at her in shock, "But you honestly won't believe me. You will think I'm insane and the clinical variety at that."

He thought about it for several moments. He doubted there was anything she could say that he wouldn't believe at this point.

"I promise to keep an open mind. You are from another reality so it's to be expected that your source of information might be extremely unlikely." He replied honestly.

She took a deep breath, seemingly calming herself.

"I know your name, your people, the Time War with the Daleks, the steps you took to save the whole of time and space, your family…well some of your family, not an expert or anything, and keys points in your future because…because of a television show called Doctor Who. I believed it aired sometime in the nineteen sixties and continued up to the late eighties with one movie release. It was then cancelled then brought back in the year 2005. It chronicles your adventures with your companions. It also has quite a large following numbering in billions of fans. Hell, I've read tons of fan fiction set in the DW verse also referred to as the Whoniverse which included stories about people jumping through time and space by various means. There are even people that study and learn the Gallifreyan numbering system and even the written form of Gallifreyan. Though to my knowledge there is no real verbal form of Old Time Gallifreyan and is simply described as a beautiful and ancient language that almost sounds like singing and it is said to contain great power, so much so that it could burn across the stars and topple gods. Furthermore…" Artimes gushed letting just about everything come flying out her mouth.

She would have continued but the Doctor silenced her with his lips slamming down onto hers in a very unexpected kiss. She was so stunned by the action that her mind went completely blank, her eyes wide in shock. He pulled back after a moment longer, a smile on his face and a barely discernible blush on his cheeks.

He had never heard someone talk so much, but the emotion she had placed into her words was unlike anything he had ever heard. He knew that she spoke the truth. He could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice, and it would explain quite a lot.

"You certainly do know how to talk." He commented his smile widening as he saw just how shell shocked she was.

She had not been expecting it and quite frankly, he didn't know why he did it. He could have just spoken up and stopped her, but she was talking so animatedly that it had drawn his attention to her mouth. He found it surprising that he liked kissing her and wanted to do it again. He held back a laugh when her cheeks flushed bright red and she stammered out an apology. This was a side he hadn't seen of her yet; she was simply adorable when flustered.

"For the record, I don't think you're insane. Your tale is a fantastic one, but I know when someone is lying to me and you, most certainly, are not. It's something you are emotionally connected to…the excitement and passion in your voice solidified it as truth and it does explain quite a bit." He stated with absolute certainty.

She looked up at him with eyes filled with relief, gratitude, and hope.

"Does this mean we're friends?" She asked shyly.

She seemed so innocent and he simply couldn't resist those hope filled eyes. He grinned as he nodded.

"Yes and thank you for being honest with me. I'll try not to pressure you too much about your foreknowledge and before you say anything, I can safely vouch that what you have is, indeed, foreknowledge. I've seen you at work both on Earth and on Platform One." He answered.

"That's a relief." She commented as her body relaxed, her hand not gripping his arm as tightly as before.

"You think so?" He asked surprised by her reaction.

Most people who had any knowledge of the future would see it as a horrible burden, and yet she was saying that it was a relief. Why?

"With foreknowledge, I have the capacity to effect change and save lives; however, it also comes with the responsibility of preserving and maintaining the timeline. That won't be easy, but it can be done. If the knowledge I possess was almost entirely fictional then an infinite number of things could go horribly wrong because of my acting on misinformation. This would result in paradoxes, lives lost that never should have, shattered timelines, entire worlds being erased from existence, and time being unwritten…like altering a fixed point in time would bring about the death of time. Foreknowledge with its responsibilities is infinitely more preferable than punching a whole in the universe, would you agree, Theta?" She answered looking straight at him, her eyes serious.

The Doctor could safely say that he was impressed…well more like floored. He had never met a human being who understood the complexities and responsibilities of time. The fact that she had learned all of it from a television show based on his life and was applying those principles to how she was conducting her life in this universe was simply astounding.

"You are completely impossible." He breathed still stunned.

A grin spread slowly across her face at his stunned expression.

"Did I just impress you?" She asked a knowing look in her eyes.

"Well…yes. Humans are barely off their own planet and don't have the mental capacity to comprehend time, but you…you just summed up the basic principles that are at the core of all Gallifreyan teachings and actually understood it. Of course I'm impressed." He answered finally shaking out his stupor and giving her an incredulous smile.

"Understanding that was always rather easy for me. It's the simple things that get me; like remembering lists and appointments, comprehending a set of instructions, running a cash register, staying focused when the task is too mundane or repetitive. That's what I get for being mildly autistic and ADD at the same time. Always so easily distracted. For such a long time, I thought my brain was broken." She replied.

"But…" He started not liking where she was headed with that statement, but she covered his mouth with her left hand, preventing him from speaking.

"Then I met Mels. She told me that my mind functioned on a higher level than most humans. My brain was never broken. Everyone else was simply too slow." She finished smiling as she removed her hand.

The Doctor grinned. He liked this Mels. It was a shame that would never meet her. It sounded like they would have been great friends.

"Mels pulled me out of the darkness and into the light then I'm dragged into another universe and have the chance to have my impossible wish granted." Artimes commented.

"Impossible wish?" He echoed slightly confused.

She looked up at him.

"Every living thing has a wish, something that can never happen, but they still wish for it anyways, no matter how impossible it might be." She clarified.

"What is your impossible wish, Artz?" He asked.

He wanted to know what kind of thing she would wish for and he had a feeling that her answer would define their new friendship. She smiled softly at him, her sapphire eyes warm and soft.

"To see the stars…just a little bit closer." She answered truthfully.

His heartbeats accelerated as a strange warmth washed over him. He smiled a proper and genuine smile, his reflecting the warmth he was feeling.

"Then I will show you them all." He replied.

She beamed at him, tears in her eyes but this time from happiness. She threw her arms around his neck and laughed happily. He returned the gesture and even spun her around a few times.

"Thank you, Theta." She whispered in his ear, her joy radiating off her like she was her own sun.

"Anything for my Artz." He replied honestly, his hearts feeling so much lighter than before.

* * *

Lady A: Voila! Chapter 16: Family History is complete! Quite a bit of information was given in this chapter and yes, I know it seemed too easy for the Doctor to accept, but you know what, button it. My story which means a nice Doctor. Besides she spent more time worrying about how he would react that she never actually thought he would accept it so readily. It comes as a shock to her and throws her off balance. Now she has to get herself sorted and try to restructure her thinking process…again. Now the next chapter will be a shorty chapter, but it's mostly because something very important happens in that chapter which will then trickle down and effect Artimes's actions which explains some of the things already mentioned in previous chapters. Right, so leave a ton of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 17: The Promise! Stay tuned!


	17. Chapter 17: The Promise

Lady A: Hey everyone! Sorry for taking so long to get back to Phoenix Saga: Origin, but between Guardian Saga: Seeker and Warrior Saga: Rebirth, I just haven't had the time to get back here. But I am here now and will do my best to get at least three chapters out for ya! Much love goes to my Arya for always being so psyched about my stories. Also virtual cookies to all those who faved, followed, and reviewed PS:O and GS:S, but those who reviewed get double cookies and a big gold star! *taps her chin thoughtfully* That really does make me sound like a teacher…how _disturbing_. *shrugs*

Brief Recap: Artimes revealed the origin of her foreknowledge and her impossible wish. The Doctor believed her and even told our favorite space/time jumper that he would show her all the stars. Thus their new found friendship has begun.

Looking Forward: The Doctor learns more about Artimes and her past. They spend some quality time in the library together and the Timelord asks her for a favor.

Let's find out what he asked her for, shall we? On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: The Promise

* * *

Two weeks have passed since the crimson haired space/time jumper had revealed the origin of her foreknowledge and surprisingly, she and the Doctor were becoming fast friends. He didn't ask too many questions about the future, though he did ask about her first jump…to which she replied 'Spoilers'. Artimes and the Doctor were currently in the library, the Timelord reading aloud William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

The red head seemed very fond of his voice and loved listening to him read. He didn't understand why it made her so happy, but he couldn't deny her request when she looked at him with those hope filled eyes. In return for reading to her, she had told him more about her childhood and how lonely she had been as she was growing up. His hearts had been caught between sadness and rage when he learned how her own family had thought her to be worthless and useless. He really did get angry when she had told him about her time with the oppressive parents of her ex boyfriend and how it nearly shattered her mind.

She was able to calm him when she started talking about Doctor Who again and he couldn't help but smile at how excited she got while explaining the ungodly amount of fan fiction written for that show alone and how much people loved the show. He even learned, somewhat indirectly, that he was her hero, her idol, the person she respected most, and her pillar of strength. He was her resolve and her determination, but also her kindness and compassion. Her life was so affected by the show that if those memories were taken away, she wouldn't her anymore.

Moreover, he had completely misinterpreted the intentions of her future selves. The only reason they had been so evasive was because it would have created a paradox within both the Doctor's and Artimes's personal timelines and that would have literally ripped the universe apart. Whenever Artimes had decided to tell the Doctor about her past, it had created a fixed point and her future selves were simply creating a stable time loop to maintain that fixed point and not create a very devastating paradox. He hadn't even thought of a possible paradox until Artimes had mentioned it and when he had finished Romeo and Juliet, he had checked the timelines and sure enough, it had been a fixed point.

During the course of his little reading session, the Timelord had discovered the ginger's love for the written word and the deep fascination she carried for the literary world. He was thinking about taking her to the greatest library ever built, the one that was an entire planet, but something was stilling lingering in the back of his mind and he wasn't sure how to go about it. Would she be upset that he was asking or would she simply accept it but not really do it or worse, would it be too much for their budding friendship? He didn't want to pressure her into anything but this was really bothering him.

Artimes was curled up in the chair opposite of him, her head resting on the right arm rest. She was looking at him with those warm sapphires, a soft expression on her face. She must have sensed something was wrong because she sat up, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"What's wrong, Theta?" She asked clearly worried.

He sighed as he stood up from his chair and walked over to her, kneeling down. He took her hands in his and stared at their conjoined hands. Could he really ask this of her? Could he really take that step and finally trust her completely?

"I have a favor to ask." He started his tone uncertain.

He wasn't used to the idea of trusting others, especially this much, after everything that had happened during the Time War, but with his life style, there were dangers…so many terrible dangers. He knew he needed to take this step to guarantee the safety of his companions, but he didn't want her to go too far to do it.

"What is it?" She asked giving his hands a gentle squeeze in reassurance.

He took a deep breath and calmed himself. She trusted him and he should trust her. It was only fair and he knew that being open with her about this would help their friendship.

"I can't always be there for my companions and I can't always keep them safe. Since it's pretty obvious that you'll be in my life for a long time to come and you possess knowledge of certain future events…" He started pausing to find the right words to form his request without sounding mistrusting or demanding.

He didn't want to frighten her or worry her, but he needed this because of his own self doubt.

"I give you my word, Theta Sigma, that I will do all in my power to keep your companions safe for as long as I am able and without punching a hole in the universe, if I can avoid it." She vowed adding in the last bit to assure him that she wouldn't tamper with fixed points.

He looked up at her, staring into her eyes. He searched for any kind of deception, loophole, half truth, or blatant lie in those sapphire orbs, but he found nothing but truth, determination, and absolute resolve. The tension flowing through his body dissolved and he visibly relaxed.

"Thank you." He whispered in relief, kissing the back of her hands as a show of gratitude.

She removed her hands from his and cupped his face with her hands, her sapphire eyes warm and bright.

"I would do anything for you, Theta." She said softly, her tone making his hearts beat faster.

She leaned forward and gave him a very brief, but heartfelt kiss before leaning back and releasing his face. The Doctor blushed slightly, his ears turning pink and she giggled in amusement. He scowled at her which only made her laugh more. Finally, he dragged her out of the chair and took her hand in his.

"I think it's time for an adventure, don't you?" He declared trying to slow down his heartbeats and stop blushing.

She laughed happily and beamed at him.

"Oh yes." Artimes replied enthusiastically.

He started dragging her through the hallways, but then he felt her hand slip from his, causing him to turn around and look at her. His eyes widened as he saw the golden flames engulfing her arms and legs.

"I'm sorry. Looks like it's time for me to go." The red head stated tears in her eyes.

He moved closer to her and cupped her face like she had done to him. He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss.

"I'll see you soon, Artz." He whispered against her lips.

He pulled back and stepped away right before the wings cocooned her again. With a flash of golden light, Artimes was gone and the Doctor felt the cold emptiness left in her wake. He had spent so much time with her and it had felt right with her by his side, but now she was gone and he didn't know how long it would be until he saw her again. He pushed his feelings away roughly and went in search of Rose. The sooner they went on an adventure, the more likely the time/space jumper was to appear. He could only hope that it was sooner rather than later, because she hadn't even been gone five minutes and he already missed her liked she had been gone for years.

* * *

Lady A: Voila! Chapter 17: The Promise is complete! Bit of Nine goodness in there. What is it that other writers call it…oh yeah, fluff, bit of fluff for ya. Any who, be on the lookout for Chapter Eighteen: Temporal Echoes which will begin our adventures with the Eleventh Doctor in the _Journey to the Center of the Tardis_! Leave tons of reviews and stay tuned!


	18. JCT:Ch 18: Temporal Echoes

Lady A: Hello everyone and welcome back to Phoenix Saga: Origin! This chapter marks the beginning of Artimes's adventures with the Eleventh Doctor and it's going to be a wild ride. The episode in which her journey begins is _Journey to the Center of the Tardis_ which is quite a ways into the Doctor's future so it will make things very confusing. Remember folks that this is with Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl. Right…moving along.

Brief Recap: Artimes promises the Doctor to protect his companions and they share a brief kiss or two, which is actually the start of their romance though neither one of them seems to really notice.

Looking Forward: Artimes jumps into the Doctor's distant future and meets Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl. The time/space jumper then has to explain that the Tardis is, in fact, alive and not an appliance. Moreover, she has to explain the echo room that she and Clara discover. Artimes tries a new technique to contact the Doctor so he knows that she is there. A bipedal creature with glowing red eyes starts attacking Artimes and Clara. What will they do? Will they die or…hold on, did Clara just vanish into thin air?

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Temporal Echoes

* * *

A dark haired woman wearing a red dress, ending just above the knees, walked aimlessly through the maze like hallways of the Tardis. Clara Oswald, current companion of the Eleventh Doctor, was completely and totally lost. She had been looking for the control room for what seemed like forever and there was no sign of the bow tie wearing Timelord. She honestly didn't mean for them to crash into anything when he let her touch the controls, but here she was wandering around because she had to go a break the ship. She touched one lever…that was it and it was only for a few seconds!

Clara shielded her eyes as the hallway was engulfed in a golden light, the trade mark sign that Artimes was arriving. Thank God, maybe she could help her find the Doctor and get this all sorted out. She heard something crash into the wall to her right and fall to the floor. The light faded and she lowered her hand. She gasped as her gaze fell on the crimson haired woman crumpled on the floor. She knelt down and started shaking her.

"Artimes! Come on, wake up! Please, I need your help!" Clara begged shaking the ginger more.

The red head awoke with a groan, sitting up slowly and wincing as a few things popped back into place. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, her vision finally settling on her dark haired companion.

"Oh blimey. Clara Oswald, as I live and breathe. Pleasure to meet you." Artimes replied smiling slightly, her body still out of sorts and very tired.

"Oh dear, this is our first meeting for you, isn't it?" Clara surmised.

Artimes stood up slowly, the dark haired woman supporting a good deal of her weight.

"Yep." The red head replied exaggerating the 'p' till it popped, "But not to worry, I'll look after you."

"You're younger than I've ever seen you. This is pretty early for you, isn't it?" Clara commented softly.

"How can you tell?" The ginger asked.

"Your eyes. You told me about the pain and exhaustion of your early days. I can see it clearly in your eyes. You're very young." The brunette answered.

"Always so perceptive, my Clara, but do me a favor and don't tell the Doctor, okay? He would just worry needlessly and he needs to stay focused." The red head replied.

"Your secret is safe with me." Clara promised smiling.

Artimes frowned once she noticed Clara's clothes; red dress with a black collar, ending above the knees and dark grey boots. Her hair was pinned back to leave her face clear. She mentally groaned and resisted the urge to face palm. She knew exactly where she was and it didn't bode well in their favor.

"Please don't tell me the Doctor let you try to fly the Tardis while in basic mode, did he?" The ginger moaned, "And I can't believe you called the Old Girl an appliance. Have you no shame, Clara Oswald?"

"Oi! It was looking at me funny!" Clara defended clearly put out by the red head's remark.

The two started walking down the hallway; the dark haired girl having one arm around the ginger's waist and Artimes's right arm around Clara's neck and being held by the brunette's right hand.

"She, Clara, she. Tardises were not built, they were grown. The Tardis is a living, sentient being with thoughts, feelings, desires, and dreams of her own, so don't insult her. She takes excellent care of me and the Doctor. She is our home and our family." Artimes replied softly.

The brunette sighed in defeat, knowing there was no way to argue with the ginger haired woman.

"Alright, I concede defeat. I'm gonna feel stupid for this." Clara responded before looking up at the ceiling, "Think you can help us get to the console room…Old Girl."

The Tardis hummed sadly and Artimes hissed in pain, her mind briefly overpowered by the telepathic signals she was receiving from the Old Girl. Clara directed her attention to the red head.

"What's wrong?" She asked worried.

"I don't know. The Tardis…The Tardis is in pain. She's hurting…so bad. She's trying to keep me from feeling the damage, but she can't block all of it. We need to go this way. Oh and she's says thank you for calling her Old Girl." Artimes answered directing them down the hallway to their left.

"Now, I feel kind of bad for calling her an appliance. Sorry." She said quietly, brushing her fingers along the wall for a moment before remembering how daft she looked.

The red head smiled, feeling Sexy's amusement. The two continued walking until they stumbled across the control room. Clara left Artimes to lean against the console and rest. The brunette then bent down and kissed one of the control panels on the main console. Artimes held back her laughter at the sight.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Hold on, where's the door gone?" Clara rambled.

She exited the console room, only to reemerge a few seconds later, a baffled look on her face. Artimes raised an eyebrow as this happened a few more times.

"Oh, why are you doing this?" Clara asked confused.

Artimes simply smirked and chuckled softly.

"It's an echo room, Clara." Artimes answered.

"What's an echo room?" The brunette asked momentarily distracted.

"Exactly as it sounds. The console room is the safest place on the ship. It can replicate itself any number of times. When the occupants of the Tardis are threatened, she creates these echo rooms as a means of keeping them safe. Understand?" Artimes explained.

Clara nodded before poking around a bit.

"Don't touch anything!" The red head shouted.

"Wasn't gonna!" Clara yelled back.

Artimes snorted and rolled her eyes at that. She knew what was going to happen and all because of Clara's curiosity whilst in the echo room. This was _Journey to the Center of the Tardis_ and she knew what had happened to the Tardis and what has currently on board besides them and the salvage crew. Instead of focusing on Clara, Artimes decide to try the technique that Nine had showed her just last week. She wasn't sure if it would work because she hadn't had that much practice seeing how she was whisked away, but she needed to contact the Doctor and let him know she was here. She rubbed her temples and calmed her mind. She reached out hesitantly, searching for the familiar warmth of his mind.

'Theta.' She called out.

Almost immediately, she felt his presence within her mind. She had to stop herself from gasping at the sudden connection. She still wasn't used to having another person in her mind, but she made certain her memories were beyond his reach and safely secured behind her mental doors.

'Artz! What are you doing here? Never mind that. Where are you? Forget that. Is Clara with you?' The Doctor rambled.

She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She could just see him hitting his head with his sonic screwdriver.

'I jumped here a few minutes ago. Clara is with me and we're in one of the echo rooms. Now hurry up and get us out of here before Clara does something incredibly stupid.' She ordered as pain lanced through her mind.

That was the problem with open telepathic communication. She was feeling the Tardis's pain even more now and it wasn't doing her any favors for her emotional state. Adding in the pain she felt from the Artron energy and the Time Vortex and you might as well call her a pressure cooker on the verge of exploding.

'You're in pain.' He stated quietly, 'Why are you in pain?'

She rolled her eyes.

'Of course I'm in bloody pain, Theta! The Tardis was dragged in by the salvage ship. She's hurting and I'm feeling it. Now stop asking stupid questions and get us out of here!' She snapped visibly wincing from the level of pain she was feeling.

Clara screamed, drawing the red head's attention instantly.

'Shit! She's let it in!' Artimes yelled mentally, her fear sky rocketing and transmitting through their link.

Clara came racing back up to the console, grabbed Artimes's hand, and the two started dodging a bipedal creature with reddish brown skin, burnt obviously, and glowing red eyes. It growled at them, stalking them like a predator.

"Who are you?" Clara asked both scared and curious.

'Theta…please hurry. I really don't want Clara working out what this thing is, so any time you're ready.' The red head called out in her mind.

First an electrical creature then blue ghosts and zombies and now future versions of themselves trying to kill everyone. She just couldn't catch a break, could she?

'I'm trying. I can't seem to get a lock. It's not recognizing your DNA.' He replied growling in desperation and anger.

She forced herself to calm down, transmitting that mind set to him.

'Calm down, Theta. Don't get emotional. Everything will be fine. Focus on getting Clara out first since I know you can get a lock on her then focus on getting me out.' Artimes ordered.

She felt his emotions settle down and his mind became focused. She and Clara continued playing duck, duck, goose around the console until it tried to take a swipe at them. It continued forward, forcing them up against the wall. Clara screamed, putting her hands up in front of her face to shield herself. Artimes's eyes widened as Clara disappeared, leaving her alone and at the creature's mercy. It lunged at her and the red head screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain.

* * *

Lady A: Bum, bum, bum! Lovely little cliff hanger for ya. Aren't I nice? You just love me, right? Will Artimes survive or will the Doctor save her? Find out soon in Chapter 19: Countdown to Chaos! Leave tons of reviews and stay tuned! *grins maniacally before sauntering off*


	19. JCT:Ch 19: Countdown to Chaos

Lady A: Hey everyone! Welcome back to Phoenix Saga: Origin! Under normal circumstances I would wait to post this chapter, but after being threatened to have a shoe thrown at me, I decided it was probably in my best interest to update sooner rather than later. This chapter is for you, Arya! Also much love to the 60, that's right, 60 people that have followed this story!

Brief Recap: Artimes has jumped into the Doctor's distant future and met Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl. She has contacted the Doctor through a technique taught to her by his Ninth regeneration and was communicating with him telepathically. Clara, the ever curious girl that she is, allowed a bipedal creature with glowing red eyes into the echo room and Clara disappeared shortly after, leaving our favorite space/time jumper to face off against the creature alone.

Looking Forward: Things begin to sizzle and confusion runs amok. A few snappish comments and some unusual behavior later and it's time to set off for the Center of the Tardis.

On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: Countdown to Chaos

* * *

Artimes clenched her eyes shut and waited for the pain, but then nothing happened. She opened her eyes cautiously and her mouth fell open at what she saw. There was second bipedal creature but this one had glowing gold eyes and had its arms wrapped around the first. It was dragging the first one away and preventing it from killing her. Why? Why would it help her unless…unless it was her? Was it her future self trying to help her, but how was that possible? Could the Time Vortex have altered her that much to allow her to fight against whatever it was that compelled them attack?

She couldn't dwell on it for much longer, because she was suddenly yanked forward and into the waiting arms of the Eleventh Doctor. She relaxed in his hold, her happiness bubbling up inside of her like fountain.

"Sorry for the wait. Clara was being unreasonable." He whispered the relief in his voice very evident.

She showed him the memory of what happened while she had been waiting for the rescue and he embraced her tighter in response. She leaned into him a bit as she calmed her heart rate and breathing. Once she was sure she wouldn't faint from relief, she pulled back from him and smiled softly, taking in her first look at the man. She was, however, not expecting the Doctor to suddenly assault her mouth with his lips. She slid into a bit easier than she had with Ten and it didn't take long for it transform into a full blown snogging session. Meanwhile, her brain was short circuiting from trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Why was the Doctor kissing her? She had Nine, Ten, and now Eleven kissing her! Her inner fan girl was going mental. Nine was a total shock and more like a brief show of affection, Ten was fueled by what she assumed to be desperation and his past memories of the times she had been in danger, but Eleven seemed completely unlikely because of his involvement with River Song.

She had to, begrudgingly, admit that Eleven was on hell of a kisser and the way he held her made her feel precious and important. It was seriously confusing her. Who was she to him? They couldn't be together, could they? No, it was impossible, but then why the hell was he kissing her so passionately? Her brain hurt from trying to figure it out, but her heart was leaping for joy. She had feelings for him, very deep feelings, but she never even thought to entertain the notion of being with him, and because of that, she chose to be his best friend, the person who would always be there for him. Did she mention that her brain hurt?

"I thought you said the Tardis wasn't a snog box?" Clara interrupted making the Doctor relinquish his monopoly over her lips and allowing her to breathe.

"Oh, she's much better than a snog box, Clara." The Doctor replied causing the red head to blush six shades of scarlet at his suggestive tone.

"Oi! You got your girls. A deal's a deal. Now cancel the self destruct." The one she knew to be Gregor demanded.

Artimes rolled her eyes at his idiocy.

"Stop talking. You're lowering the IQ of the entire room." Artimes snapped in annoyance.

As if the Doctor would intentionally blow up the Tardis. What a moron?

"Now dear, no need to get snippy with the kids." The Doctor placated his lips against her neck.

She shivered at the sensation of his lips ghosting across her skin. If he kept that up, she was going to turn into a puddle of goo and she was half tempted to pin him to the console and have her way with him. Did he have to be so damn sexy at a time like this? Her inner fan girl had fainted and her mind was in a fog. She mentally shook herself and tried to regain her actual thought processes.

"But there is no self destruct. You would never destroy the Tardis because it's our home and it's not my fault the idiots are too slow to recognize a fake countdown." She replied breathlessly.

He trailed kisses up and down her neck, making her dizzy with desire. He placed one final kiss to her lips before spinning around towards the console, his left hand holding her right.

"She's right, fellas. Countdown's a fake." The Doctor reiterated.

"So you're telling us we're safe?" The one she knew to be Tricky asked.

"I only made it look as though the engine was actually exploding." The Timelord answered.

"Check again, dear." Artimes instructed giving him a knowing look.

He did so and his eyes widened.

_Eye of Harmony. Engine Status: Overload._

"Ah. That's not good. Okay, don't panic. Or maybe panic." The Doctor rambled.

"Something you want to share with the rest of us?" Clara asked annoyed.

"The engines have been damaged. Yes, we're in trouble. No, he does not have a big friendly button to fix this because he kept forgetting to build it. We need to repair the engines or we're toast. Now, no more questions and shift your arses already. Leg it now!" Artimes interjected dragging the Doctor down the stairs.

He sonicked open a hexagonal panel in the wall.

"Where are we going?" Tricky asked.

"The center of the Tardis." The Doctor and Artimes answered in unison.

* * *

At some point, Clara got separated from the others and the two bickering idiot brothers were left behind somewhere as well, leaving Artimes to fend off a very flirtatious Doctor.

"Artz, why are you acting so distant? Have I done something to upset you? You can talk to me. Whatever it is, I'm sorry." He pleaded her hands clasped in his, his eyes begging for forgiveness.

How could she tell him? Tell him that she didn't know what was going on between them? Who was she to him? She honestly didn't know anymore. She assumed that they had been friends, best friends according to Rose.

"You haven't done anything wrong, Theta. It's just…" She started her voice dying in her throat the longer their gazes held.

"Please…tell me. I can help." He replied.

Tears began to fill her eyes and he cupped her face.

"I'm not used to you being like this. So…so relaxed and…and close and…_flirty_. I just don't understand what's going on. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I really do, but I'm just trying to figure out where we stand because I am very confused. Ten kissed me when I first met him and even Nine kissed me on my second jump and…and then you kissed me." She gushed her mouth spilling out words as fast it could.

The Doctor was stunned. His hands dropped to his sides. He quickly whipped out his sonic screwdriver and scanned her. He stared at the results in shock before lowering the sonic.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were so early in your timeline." He stated pocketing the screwdriver once more, his eyes sad and dejected.

She didn't like seeing him that way. It hurt her too much. She embraced him tightly and he returned the gesture loosely. She growled in annoyance at his sudden withdrawal.

'Don't you dare, Theta! Don't shut me out. It may be early for me but it's not for you. Please, Theta!' She pleaded mentally.

'But it's too early for you to feel anything for me. This is only your third jump. I can't…I won't make you uncomfortable.' He replied beginning to draw back from her.

That was something she wouldn't allow.

"You're an idiot for believing that I don't feel anything for you." She spoke aloud before pulling back and kissing him.

She refused to let him get away because this Doctor felt something for her. She didn't know how strong it was, but if it was anything like she had felt with Ten then she was going to act on it. She had been with the Doctor for a little over a month, but she knew that her heart belonged to him. It had always belonged to him...from the moment she met him in this reality. It was the reason why she would do anything for him. It was the reason why she had promised to keep his companions safe, no matter the cost. He was her Doctor, the only man who had ever given a damn about her, who promised to show her all of the stars, the man who read to her just so she could hear his voice, the man who believed her wild and crazy tale, the man who was everything to her.

The Doctor stopped fighting the ginger haired woman and kissed her with everything he had. He could never resist her, especially when she was broadcasting her feelings so intensely in his mind. He simply couldn't believe the depth of her love for him. He never knew that she had loved him since the very beginning and had been fighting her own emotions to not make things awkward between them. She was always trying to make him happy and at this moment, he was the happiest man alive. She was his Artz and he was her Theta. They broke apart to catch their breath, his forehead resting against hers.

"Are we good? Doctor, are we good?" She asked seeking confirmation.

He grinned at her, his eyes warm and bright.

"Oh, we're better than good, you sexy thing." He murmured causing her to blush bright red at his extremely suggestive tone.

He gave her another kiss, robbing her of her sanity. She managed to pull back, though it took a lot of will power to accomplish such a feat, and she smacked his chest playfully.

"We can finish this later. Now, can we please find our Clara?" Artimes asked still brighter than a tomato.

He grinned and took her hand, the pair went in search of their Impossible Girl and hoped she hadn't run into anything dangerous.

* * *

Lady A: Tada! Chapter 19: Countdown to Chaos is complete! Wasn't expecting that, now were you? Now, I know what you're thinking, they are moving way too fast. In reality, no, that isn't the case. It only seems like it because it is so far into the Doctor's future. Those two will have plenty obstacles and hurdles to get through before they actually get to that point properly. Next chapter will reveal one of the big secrets I have been sort of hinting at. Keep a lookout for Chapter 20: Continuum! Leave tons and tons of reviews and stay tuned!


	20. JCT:Ch 20: Continuum

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Phoenix Saga: Origin! Sorry it has taken me so long to get back, but I have been trying to iron out some problems with Warrior Saga: Rebirth. It isn't easy writing what happens to our heroine and then the Time War. Should warn you that it will be rated M, because damn, it is dark. It's a bloody war for crying out loud. The rest of the Warrior Saga should be rated T at most, so yeah.

Brief Recap: Artimes finally meets the Eleventh Doctor and he snogs the living daylights out of her. The countdown he set up was fake but the engines are still overloading. The Doctor learns just how early Artimes is in her timeline but also discovers that even so young, she still loves him.

Looking Forward: The unlikely pair of time travelers find their Impossible Girl then they have to run…again. Artimes loses her temper and she makes a startling discovery.

Let's find out what that discovery is, shall we? On with the show!

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Chapter Twenty: Continuum

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The Doctor and Artimes raced down corridor after corridor, searching for their Impossible Girl. They finally found her as she was inching closer to a temporal echo of the Doctor from the past.

"Clara, stop! Don't touch it!" Artimes commanded her hand outstretched.

The brunette stopped and glanced back at them, her eyes filled with confusion. Artimes lowered her hand as the Timelord took up the explanation.

"There's a rupture in time somewhere on board the ship. A small tear in the fabric of the continuum." The Doctor explained.

Artimes looked over at him.

"It must have happened when the Tardis was pulled in by the salvage ship. That means the Tardis is leaking time." The red head continued as Clara moved further and further back from the echo.

"Time? What does that mean?" The brunette asked even more confused.

She finally joined them and Artimes took her hand.

"The past; you and me and Artz. Everything we've done, everything we've said. Recent history, it's a memory." He answered as they turned away and started walking down a corridor.

They ran across a single bodied, red eyed creature and Artimes felt her stomach lurch.

"What about this?" Clara asked calmly.

The ginger grabbed the Doctor's hand quickly and started dragging them away.

"Run!" She yelled as they creature started following them.

"She's right on to us!" The Timelord exclaimed forgetting the filter on his mouth for a moment.

"She?" The brunette echoed shocked.

'Theta, shut up!' Artimes snapped sending him a pointed glare.

"Clara, don't ask me anymore." The Doctor ordered throwing an apologetic look at the red head.

The creature was gaining on them and Artimes knew she had to think of something fast. She spotted the echo versions of Clara and the Doctor in her peripheral vision and she smirked. She pushed her friends to go faster as she dragged them towards their echo versions. At the last possible moment, she diverted them into a side hallway. The bipedal creature lost interest in them and ran off in hot pursuit of the echoes, leaving them alone. Artimes breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her stunned companions.

"Artz, you're brilliant!" The Doctor exclaimed happily, kissing her loudly.

She giggled at his antics, blushing slightly from the praise. The brunette simply rolled her eyes at the pair, clearly their routine was normal to her. The sounds of metal banging reached their ears, making the trio look around nervously.

"What's that noise?" Clara asked worriedly.

Artimes realized at what point in the episode she was and quickly spoke up.

"We're right under the primary fuel cells. That sound means that they are starting to cool down which means they are most likely beginning to warp, and they might even…" The red head started but was cut off by the brunette.

"No, don't you say. Don't you dare say it." Clara warned glaring at the ginger woman.

"Might even break apart." The Doctor finished softly, earning himself a rather heated glare from the pissed off brunette.

A rod cut in between them, the Doctor and Clara on one side and Artimes on the other. They all stared at the rod for a moment, their faces expressing their shock and fear.

"Run?" The girls said together, looking at the Doctor simultaneously.

"I'm liking how you're thinking." He replied and the trio started running again.

Rods began piercing through the corridors at all different angles. The Doctor and Clara managed to avoid them but one rod grazed the red head's right thigh, making her hiss in pain. The Timelord rushed back to her and grabbed her, pulling her out of the way right as another rod shot through and into the space where she once stood. Artimes went slightly bug eyed at that and glanced up at the Doctor, her eyes expressing her gratitude.

They heard a scream from up ahead and the trio of time travelers ran towards it. They came across the two salvage brothers. Tricky had been speared by a rod through his shoulder. The two idiots were arguing back and forth about whether or not to cut off Tricky's entire arm and the ginger had had enough. She stepped towards them, her eyes filled with anger.

"Tell him. Tell him the truth." She demanded of Gregor, who looked away guiltily, "You can't, can you? You're a bloody coward. You won't save him and you're too scared to tell him why."

Her anger was quickly building into rage. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her back to his front. She barely registered his touch as her eyes began to glow faintly.

"What's she going on about?" Tricky asked incredibly confused and wanting to know what was going on.

"Robots don't need blast suits. They don't need respirators. They don't get frightened of monsters in the dark." The Timelord stated softly, trying to regain control of the situation and breaking the news as easy as he can.

"What's he talking about?" Tricky demanded starting to get angry himself.

Artimes glanced at the silent Gregor and took matters into her own hands.

"Two bionic eyes and a synthetic voice box. You're human, Tricky, flesh and blood." Artimes answered her voice hard and firm.

The Doctor squeezed her gently, but that did nothing to abate the rage growing inside of her. Her eyes glowed a little brighter, but went unnoticed by the others.

"It was a joke." Gregor stated weakly.

The ginger's jaw clenched as her entire body went rigid, her eyes beginning to burn with a reddish gold light.

"What?" Tricky asked in horror, not quite believing what he was hearing.

The red head's eyes were fully glowing now and the Doctor knew that if he let her go for even an instant then she would lose control and Gregor would become a pile of dust.

"It was just a stupid joke. We did it to relieve the boredom." Gregor answered pitifully.

Rage was no longer an adequate word to describe what the ginger haired woman was feeling. No, now it was fury…pure, unadulterated fury, a fury that even made a Timelord's blood run cold.

"They lied to you, Tricky. They changed your identity so they could have some in flight entertainment. It's sickening and inhuman and it is days like today that make me ashamed of being a human being!" Artimes snapped her voice reverberating with power as she reached towards the rod pinning Tricky.

The moment her fingers grazed the metal, it disintegrated into atoms, freeing the poor him. Her eyes stopped glowing immediately and her knees buckled. The Doctor held her up and kept her from falling. They began to move again, heading towards the center of the Tardis, the Doctor holding the ginger about the waist. He was supporting almost her entire weight and she was breathing raggedly.

'Theta, how did I do that?' Artimes asked mentally as her body slowly adjusted to the new level of fatigue.

The Doctor faltered for a moment, making her look up at him. She saw the sadness and guilt as his eyes grew distant, a look that told the ginger he was relieving moments from his past. He finally pulled himself back to the present and looked down at her.

'You're connected to the Time Vortex, Artz. During periods of heightened emotion…especially anger, you can actually tap into that power and control it, but it comes at a price and I'm sorry, I'm really very sorry. You're going to be as weak as a kitten for several months. It really takes a toll on your physical body and this early on in your timeline, the effects are stronger.' The Doctor explained, 'But in your defense, you had every right to be angry, but you have nothing to be ashamed of.'

She mulled over her thoughts, remembering how hotly her anger had burned. She had never felt like that before. She had never been that angry in her life…she never had a reason to be.

'I've never been that angry before. I didn't think I had it me. I've always been such a peaceful person, always shying away from conflict. If anger does that to me then I hope I never feel hatred because I don't think the universe would survive that.' She commented her eyes lowering to the floor.

The Timelord had to clench his jaw shut to not reveal her future. This was her third jump and he knew where her fourth one was going to be. She was going to look hatred straight in the eye and instead of being destroyed by it, she was going to change it and become a stronger person because of that change, but it also meant that she had to see the worst moments in his personal history. He could safely say that on that particular day, he fell in love with her and there was no other being in the whole of creation that could ever replace her. She was his Artz, the Doctor's Artz and the whole universe knew it too. There was nothing he would not do for his Artz and over the course of his long life, he had made it known to almost every part of time and space. Even his most hated enemies knew not to harm his Artz...if they valued their continued existence that is.

The group finally arrived outside the main power source for the sentient time ship, the Eye of Harmony. The Doctor gently leaned the red head against the wall, making certain she wasn't going to collapse. He wasn't too thrilled leaving her side at the moment, but he didn't have any other choice.

"Where are we?" Gregor asked.

"Power source. Right, you lot, wait here. Clara, look after Artimes. I'll check it's safe. We can only survive for a minute or two in there." The Doctor ordered barely sparing the salvage brothers a glance, his gaze flickering between his girls.

"Er…what happens if we stay longer?" The brunette asked.

Artimes raised an eyebrow, knowing that the Doctor was about to stick his foot in his mouth as usual.

"Our cells will liquefy and our skin will start to burn." The Timelord answered honestly.

'Shut up, Theta. You're practically giving her the solution to the puzzle that we have been trying keep her from solving this whole time. Now stop while you're no longer ahead before you say something you will really regret.' The ginger scolded mentally, giving him a pointed look.

He internally cringed, realizing his mistake almost instantly.

"I always feel so good after we've spoken." Clara commented sarcastically.

The Doctor smiled at that and Artimes bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. That was such a Clara response and made her a perfect companion to the hyperactive Timelord. She still wondered where she fit in to all this. What was her role in the Doctor's life? She honestly didn't know.

"Marvelous. Keep this door shut." He ordered, making the red head roll her eyes.

"That will not be a problem." The brunette replied echoing the ginger's thoughts at that moment.

With one final glance towards the time/space jumper, the Doctor ducked inside the room and closed the door. Artimes immediately tuned out the conversation of the salvage brothers. She was already exhausted and she didn't want to get angry again and lose control. She focused instead on the ever complicating, ever intensifying conundrum that was her life. When she had first started out with this whole jumping thing, she had to let go of a lot of misconceptions and pretty much had to chuck her life's manual into a supernova.

She was contending with monsters and aliens on a regular basis, running a great deal of the time, discovering just how dark her own species was, and trying to figure out the never ending puzzle that was the Doctor. She didn't know what her purpose was in this reality and she didn't even have a proper explanation as to how she got here and why she was connected to the Time Vortex. She had so many questions and not nearly enough answers, but the one thing that confused her the most was the biggest question of them all: _Who was she to the Doctor_?

What she had felt in Theta's mind was real, very real and very deep. He cared for her so much that it seemed completely impossible. She frowned slightly. Caring did not seem like a strong enough word to put on that emotion. No, it was more powerful…stronger…deeper…and everlasting. She refused to believe that it was love. It was impossible for him to love her…she was nothing but a friend that popped in all willy nilly and at random.

Besides, he had one Professor River Song aka Melody Pond in this particular regeneration and while he was Ten, he had the beautiful, brilliant and amazing Rose Tyler…same went for Nine as well. There simply was no place for her in his life in that way, at least not the deep and profound relationship she always wanted but could never have. Judging by his actions, she would say that she was his closest and dearest friend, the kind of friend that would do anything for him…even be his lover if that was what he wanted or needed.

She would always be there for him, no matter what. Whether it be a hand to hold while he ran, a voice to guide when things became too confusing, to be the eye of the storm when his fury was unleashed, to be his anchor and his rock when he loses those close to him, or to even be his hope that one day he would find happiness again…if only for a little while. God, she was such a hopeless romantic.

Her head snapped up as she heard the door reopen and the Doctor came back out into the hallway, immediately putting a stop to the almost blood bath between the salvage brothers. He turned towards Artimes, a silly and excited grin on his face. She beamed back at him, her eyes dancing with amusement at his child like behavior. Yep, a hopeless romantic that just so happened to be head over heels in love with the most impossible man in the universe.

* * *

Lady A: Voila! Chapter 20: Continuum is complete! So one of the big twists has been revealed in this chapter. She can tap into the power of the Time Vortex and control it during heightened periods of emotions, namely anger, fear, etc. The next chapter will reveal the second of the big twists and it's going to be a shock to you and to our favorite space/time jumper. Leave tons and tons of reviews and keep a lookout for Chapter 21: Eye of Harmony! Stay tuned!


	21. JCT:Ch 21: Eye of Harmony

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Phoenix Saga: Origin! I apologize for being super late but I'm having some difficulties sorting through _Tooth and Claw_. Not to mention, doing _Tooth and Claw_ in another story around the same time. It's like too much _Tooth and Claw_ at the same time! *eyes spin a bit before she shakes her head vigorously* Okay, that's beside the point. On we go!

Brief Recap: The Doctor and Artimes reveal to Clara that time is leaking on board the Tardis, causing echo versions of themselves to appear all over the ship. They get chased by a burnt, red eyed bipedal creature and Artimes's does something brilliant. They find the salvage brothers and Artimes loses her temper, thereby enabling her to call on the Time Vortex inside of her to save Tricky from where had been pinned. The group then travel to the center of the Tardis and Artimes tries to sort out just who exactly she is to the Doctor.

Looking Forward: They enter the room where the power source for the Tardis is located and secrets are revealed, both to Clara and to the time/space jumper. The heat is rising and lives are lost. The Doctor has a choice to make and in the end, it is decided for him and he doesn't like it.

Now enough of the sneak previews. On with the show!

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Warning: Strong usage of graphic imagery near the end of the chapter.

* * *

Chapter Twenty One: Eye of Harmony

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With the assistance of Clara, Artimes and the others enter the power source room and were immediately enveloped in a hot, orangey atmosphere. The ginger had to remember how to breathe because the air so hot that it felt like her lungs were burning.

"Okay, move, move, move. Artz, you explain." The Doctor ordered as the group moved along the catwalk at a fast pace.

Artimes looked up at the exploding star, her eyes wide in shock and awe. It was beautiful yet also terrifying. It had the capacity to kill them all and yet was probably one of the most awe inspiring things she had ever seen. She ripped her eyes away from it and focused her mind on remembering the Doctor's counterpart's explanation for this scene.

"Welcome to the Eye of Harmony, an exploding star in the act of becoming a black hole. You rip the star from its orbit and suspend it in a permanent state of decay. It's Timelord engineering." She explained inwardly proud that she had remembered it so well and so quickly too.

The Doctor beamed at her and if she hadn't already been red from the heat, she would have been blushing. He looked at her with such pride and happiness that it made her stomach fill with butterflies. He quickly redirected his attention to the people who had stopped and stared at the astronomical miracle above their heads.

"This way…quickly!" He instructed getting them to move again.

One of the creatures appeared in the window of the door they were heading towards, making them stop in their tracks. They glanced back at the other door and they saw the female one in its window, effectively trapping them inside the Eye of Harmony. Clara released Artimes so she could move closer to the Doctor.

"There's no way out. We're trapped!" Gregor exclaimed fear etched on his face and swirling in his eyes.

"There's always a way out. Now shut up and let us think!" Artimes snapped still not happy with Gregor in the slightest.

Said man immediately shut his mouth but was still terrified. Tricky started pulling out the DNA scanner and the ginger knew what was coming next.

"You're going to tell me right now. If we're going to die here, you're going to tell me what they are." Clara demanded staring into the Doctor's eyes with determination.

The Timelord glanced at Artimes before looking back at the brunette.

"I can't." The Doctor replied not wanting to reveal the truth to his friend and companion.

Artimes moved forward and came to stand next to Clara.

"But I can." The ginger stated looking at the brunette with a resigned expression.

"Artz, don't…please." The Timelord pleaded his eyes begging her not to.

She gave him an apologetic look before gesturing behind her to the salvage brothers.

"She'll find out in a matter of moments anyway and I'd rather she hear it from us than that scanner." She replied her sapphire eyes asking the Doctor to trust her.

He nodded slowly, his eyes showing just old he was in that moment.

"Tell me please." Clara begged softly, tugging on the red head's hand.

The ginger's eyes focused on the brunette once more, heavy with sadness and knowledge.

"It's us." She stated quietly, pausing a moment to lick her dry lips and swallow the lump in her throat, "It's us from the future, Clara. I told you earlier that the Tardis was leaking time. The Doctor said it was the past, echoes and memories of recent history, but time works both forwards and backwards. That's what it means to be a time traveler. These creatures are here because if we fail to get out of the Eye of Harmony, they are what we become, burnt creatures that slip through the time rift and try to kill our past selves."

Clara stared at her in shock, not quite believing the red haired time/space jumper. Dead was dead, not burnt homicidal zombies. They turned their attention to the DNA scanner that the salvage brothers were using to identify the female creature pounding on the door.

"Sensors detects animal DNA. Human core element. Calculating data, calculating data. Lancashire. Sass. Identifiable substance: Clara." The computer verified.

The results hit the brunette like a ton of bricks and now she was wishing she didn't know. She looked back at the Doctor and Artimes. They had both known what was going on, what those creatures were, and they had to carry that burden the whole time. She understood why they didn't want to tell her. Who would want to know how they died and more importantly that a future version of yourself was trying to kill your present self? It was wrong, it was so wrong. Why did they have to bear that kind of burden by themselves?

The Doctor started running a hand through his messy, brown hair, a look of devastation plastered on his face. His eyes were swirling with so many emotions that neither Clara or Artimes could comprehend them all.

"I brought you here to keep you safe, but it happened again. You died again." The Doctor rambled, the ginger already knowing about Clara, but his next sentence shocked the living daylights out of her, "Both of you died again."

Artimes's head snapped up, her eyes wide in shock. She was completely taken aback by his statement.

"What?" The red head asked completely stunned and her tone very similar to Ten's.

She knew about Clara because of the whole thing about her entering the Doctor's timeline at his grave, but why the hell did he say both of them died again? When did she die the first time? Does she die repeatedly like Jack? Jack…was it possible that she died on the Game Station and Rose bought her back to life? Did she enter the Doctor's timeline at Trenzalore with Clara? Or did it have to do with how she could tap into the Time Vortex inside of her?

Her head ached with the thousands of questions bashing around her cranium. Too many questions…way, way too many questions. Her confusion was evident by how her face was scrunched up and the almost pained look in her eyes. Clara noticed this and decided to get answers for the both of them.

"What do you mean 'again'?" Clara demanded.

Artimes put aside her rampaging thoughts as she glanced over at the salvage brothers who were now leaning against the door to keep it closed. Her eyes lit up as she remembered what the Doctor's DW counterpart had said in the show and the Doctor seemed to be too focused on the fact that they were supposedly dying again.

"Doctor, look at me!" She ordered and he turned his attention to her, "There's a chance to fix this and no one has to die."

"How?" He asked calming down.

"As long as we interrupt the timeline of cause and effect, this can't happen." Artimes answered gesturing to the burnt versions of themselves.

His eyes lit up and he placed a quick kiss on her lips before rushing over to the salvage brothers like a maniac. Clara gave her an impressed look along with a raised eyebrow at how the ginger had effectively focused the hyperactive Timelord, but had side stepped the whole 'dying again' question. Artimes simply shrugged and sent her a look that said 'We'll ask him later'.

"Don't touch each other, otherwise the future will reassert itself!" The Doctor yelled pulling them back.

The creature broke in and clawed at Gregor's backpack which contained the circuit he had stolen before.

"Gregor, Gregor, let go of the circuit!' The Timelord commanded.

"Just let it go!" Both Artimes and Tricky yelled together, the ginger finally refocusing on current events rather than her silent conversation with the brunette.

Gregor continued to struggle, but was still holding the light bulb shaped circuit.

"Gregor, Gregor!" The Doctor tried again.

Tricky knocked the creature off the catwalk and a few seconds later, both the conjoined creature and burnt future Clara broke in at the same time.

"Okay…er…er…" The Timelord started unsure of what to do, his head whipping back and forth between the creatures.

Artimes took that moment to bust off part of the railing that was lining the catwalk to use as a staff. She knew that this wasn't going to be pretty but she had to have absolute faith in the Doctor. He would fix things and everything would be alright, but it might mean she had to do something pretty damn stupid before he got clever. It seemed to be a recurring theme with her jumps. She just hoped that she didn't have to get herself killed just for him to get his ass moving.

The ginger managed to good whack on future Clara and sent her toppling over the edge of the catwalk and Tricky attacked the conjoined creature. She hadn't paid that much attention to how he threw the creature off the catwalk but she did notice when he was left dangling and barely holding on.

"Tricky!" Gregor and Artimes shouted in alarm.

Artimes moved forward as Clara called out to the Doctor. She knew that time would reassert itself and the brothers would become the creature. She needed to buy the Doctor and Clara time to escape so they get to the engine room and perform the reset.

"No, don't touch him or time will reassert itself!" The Doctor warned.

Gregor pulled Ricky up onto the catwalk and they transformed into the conjoined creature. Artimes placed herself in between it and her friends, blocking its path.

"Go now, both of you!" The ginger ordered dodging and parrying the creature's attempts to take a chunk out of her.

"I can't leave you here! You'll die!" The Doctor exclaimed terrified.

Of all the times for him to become overly emotional,he had to choose now to do it. She needed him to calm down and focus on what needed to be done. A look of realization crossed her face as an idea formed in her mind.

"Not if you do something clever when you get to the engine room." She started jumping back from a wild swing and putting her idea into motion, "Got to love human skin, so impressionable." She blocked another hit with her staff, "You can easily leave yourself a note."

She pushed the creature back a few yards and gave it a good whack across both heads, making it stagger back farther. The Doctor didn't know what to do. He couldn't just leave her. He had promised to keep her safe, to make her happy, to always be there for her and now she was asking him to leave her behind and let her die. He simply couldn't do it, his hearts would never allow him to just abandon her, not after everything that has happened to them. As if sensing his impending refusal, she turned and faced him for a moment, a smile on her face.

"Run. Run, you clever boy, and remember." She stated her belief and trust in him shining brightly in her eyes.

He stared at her a moment longer, his eyes filling with tears. She believed in him, she always believed in him, always trusted him, and always had faith in him. He knew he had to trust her like she trusted him and it hurt him to do so. He could only hope that she would make it out in time. He tore his eyes away from her, grabbed Clara's wrist, and dragged the brunette out of the Eye of Harmony and towards the engine room, his hearts breaking apart at his decision.

Artimes heard the growl from behind her and immediately refocused her attention on the conjoined creature behind her. It rushed her, only to be grabbed by another creature. The ginger's eyes widened as she saw the glowing gold eyes and knew it was her future self, aiding her yet again. Her burnt self dragged the conjoined creature to the edge of the catwalk and threw both of them off into the abyss below.

The red head shook herself from her stunned state, dropped her impromptu weapon and tried to make her way to the door. Her lungs were on fire and she could barely breathe. She staggered, her vision going blurry as she heard her skin beginning to sizzle. Tears flowed down her face as she tried to push through the pain and get to the door. Her vision went white as her palm pressed against the door, the metal burning her hand. The pain in her body sky rocketed as her clothes and hair caught on fire. She tried to scream verbally but her throat constricted, cutting of her airway. Unfortunately, her link to the Doctor was still active and she screamed internally in agony before death finally claimed her conscious mind.

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Lady A: *coughs* Yeah, I think I got a bit too detailed with that last bit. Anyways, Chapter 21: Eye of Harmony is over. Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 22: Frozen Burning! Stay tuned!


	22. JCT:Ch 22: Frozen Burning

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Phoenix Saga: Origin! I've been super busy with so many Doctor Who fictions rolling out of my head. It's been a little hard to keep track of them all, but not to worry, I shall continue on in due time.

Brief Recap: The group finally made it to the center of the Tardis and had to pass through the Eye of Harmony, a star tapped in a permanent state of decay. Clara finally learns about the burnt creatures that had been chasing them all throughout the ship and a big whopping secret was revealed to Artimes…apparently she had died before or was going to die…bloody tenses. In the end of it all, the two remaining Salvage brothers became the conjoined creature, The Doctor and Clara fled to the engine room, and oh…Artimes died rather painfully.

Looking Forward: The Doctor tries to forget what happened to his Artz and grills Clara for the truth about why he had been constantly meeting her everywhere. After realizing that Clara honestly had no idea what was going on, the two finally make it to the engines, only to discover that the explosion has already occurred. After a few clues left behind by his Artz, the Doctor finally figures out what he needs to do to save them all.

Now on with the show!

* * *

Chapter Twenty Two: Frozen Burning

* * *

The Doctor and Clara ran through the door and apparently somewhere outside. They were now standing on a cliff that bordered some sort of bottomless ravine.

"The engine room. The heart of the Tardis." The Doctor stated noting Clara's confusion.

They approached the edge of the cliff, the Timelord's suspicions being confirmed that there was no way down except to fall. The Old girl was trying to keep them away, to protect them.

"We're outside." She commented not believing what she was seeing.

Why? Why did his girls always have to protect him so much? He was supposed to protect and take care of them. The Tardis had always been there for him in the ups and the downs, the sad times and the happy times…she was there he first met his Artz and when his Artz had first met him.

"No, we're still in the Tardis." He replied his emotional control starting to slip.

He should have never left her. She never left him, no matter how horrible things were or how frightening he became... not even when he was the Timelord Victorious…she had always been there. She had always loved him and he just abandoned her. Why? Why did he listen to her? He should go back and save her.

"There's no way across." The brunette declared.

"No, okay, you're right." He replied.

He grit his teeth as he felt his Artz's pain. She was beginning to burn and with her, his control over his temper.

"So what do we do? Time for a plan. Do you have a plan?" Clara asked becoming very worried.

"Well, no. No plan. Sorry." He answered anger beginning to seep into his voice as the ginger's pain intensified.

"If you don't have a plan, we're dead." The brunette stated becoming more and more afraid.

"Yes, we are so just tell me." He demanded rounding on her, his eyes fierce and reflecting how his Artz was burning.

Clara looked at him confused and a tiny bit terrified.

"Tell you what?" She asked not understanding.

"Well, there's no point now. We're about to die and Artz is burning alive as we speak. Just tell me who you are." He ordered the ginger's pain nearly consuming his mind.

"You know who I am." The brunette answered slowly inching towards the cliff, completely terrified.

"No, I don't. I look at you every single day and I don't understand a thing about you. Why do Artz and I keep running into you?" He demanded.

His insides felt like they were burning, his internal organs melting and the pain flowing the link was excruciating.

"Doctor, you invited me. You said…" She started but was interrupted by the Timelord.

"Before that. Artz and I met you in the Dalek Asylum. There was a girl in a shipwreck and she died saving our lives and she was you." He ranted barely focusing on anything.

Why? Why did he leave her? He was absolutely disgusted with himself. What husband would just leave his wife to die? She wasn't even his wife yet which just made it even worse. So young, she was so young.

"She really wasn't." Clara denied very scared.

"Victorian London. There was a governess who was really a barmaid and the three of us fought the Great Intelligence together. She died and it was my fault and she was you!" He shouted his anger bursting through completely.

The Oncoming Storm was emerging and there was nothing Clara could do to stop it. Only Artimes had the ability to calm the Timelord. In that moment, the brunette was completely petrified of the Doctor.

"You're scaring me." She squeaked out, trying to hold her own against the ferocity of his gaze.

"What are you, eh? Are you a trick, a trap?" He demanded moving towards the brunette slightly, wanting answers.

All movement ceased in his body as his hearts froze, his Artz was screaming through their link and then she was gone. The open connection they had before shattered and he was left feeling hollowed out and numb. Tears flowed down his face unbidden as the reality of what he almost did crashed in on him. Her death reminded him that he was not perfect or all knowing. He had no right to force Clara into revealing anything. She had saved his life twice and how did he repay her? He repaid her by yelling at her and demanding answers. Could he get any lower at that moment?

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Clara yelled as time seemed to move again.

She nearly stepped off the cliff, but he grabbed hold of her arms and held her tightly, making certain she would not fall.

"You really don't, do you?" He asked his voice lacking any of its previous heat.

"I think I'm more scared of you right now than anything else on that Tardis." Clara commented trembling in his grasp.

He realized then that she honestly had no idea what he was talking about. She was just as much in the dark as he was, maybe even more so.

"You're just Clara, aren't you?" He asked again hugging his now very confused companion.

The brunette slowly stopped trembling and relaxed in his arms.

"Okay, I don't know what the hell this is about, but the hug is really nice." She answered calming down.

The Doctor backed away from her as he started explaining that the Tardis was snarling at them, trying to scare them away. He then explained that they needed to jump off the cliff and Clara looked at him like he was insane and even said it verbally. After a bit more convincing, the pair ran and jumped off the cliff, their hands intertwined. They fell into a white space filled with pieces of metal and broken machinery, seemingly frozen in time as they traveled outwards in an explosive like pattern.

"The heart of the Tardis. The engine, it's already exploded. It must have been the collision with the salvage ship." The Doctor surmised looking around sadly.

He was already so exhausted from his emotional escapade earlier, but yet they still rose up in him as his sorrow took center stage.

"We're not dead." Clara said stating the obvious.

"She wrapped her hands around the force…froze it." He replied softly.

He couldn't do anything right, could he? His Artz and his Tardis…he was losing both on the same day and it was all his fault. He did this.

"So…so it's safe?" She asked trying to grasp what was happening.

"Temporary fix. Eventually this whole place will erupt. There's no way I can save them now. They've just always been there for me and taken care of me…and now it's my turn and I don't know what to do. I think…it just…" He started unable to keep going as his remaining emotional barriers collapsed.

His voice had come out so broken and that was how he felt…broken. He destroyed everything he touched…even his girls. Clara took his hand in an act of compassion and understanding. The Doctor frowned when he saw the burn marks on her hand.

'Not if you do something clever when you get to the engine room. Got to love human skin, so impressionable. You can easily leave yourself a note. Run. Run, you clever boy, and remember.' Artimes's voice echoed through his mind.

He lifted Clara's hand and examined it. He read the words burnt into the skin of the brunette's palm, 'Big Friendly Button'. A smile began to form on his face as he understood what Artz had been trying to tell him. Oh that clever, clever girl. Always thinking of ways to help him. He promised himself that he would fix this and he would do something nice for her. Anything she wanted, he would gladly give to her.

"Oh, Clara, oh. You are beautiful." He rambled kissing her palm, "Beautiful fragile human skin. Like parchment. Thank you."

He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and started fiddling with the settings.

"The rift in time. All the memories leaking out. I need to find the moment we crashed." He continued finally getting the exact setting he needed.

He moved around a bit and started scanning for the temporal resonance of the crash.

"I need to find the music." He finished as the screwdriver lit up and they heard the music that had been broadcasting from the salvage ship right before the crash had occurred.

* * *

It didn't take the Doctor long to locate the vertical control which just so happened to be in the actual control room. He quickly explained to Clara about how he was going to rewrite time and they somehow got on to the topic of his name. Clara told him about the book in his library and he knew which one it was. Artz had scolded him for leaving 'The History of the Time War' in such an exposed area. She must have known that Clara would one day read it and discover his name. It didn't matter though. He would reset the day and she wouldn't go looking for his name again.

He engraved the words into the grenade his counterpart had thrown into his control room before and realized that he would have to literally shove himself through to make certain it worked this time, but he also needed to warn his past self about Artz, otherwise he won't even remember that she had jumped on board. After a few parting remarks to Clara about secrets, he entered the crack. He appeared on the other side, trying very hard to ignore the massive amount of pain that was surging through his body from the temporal riptides of the fissure.

"Doctor!" He called garnering the attention of his past self quickly, "I'm from your future. We haven't got long to reset and Artz is here!" He yelled before screaming in agony as he was disintegrated into atoms.

The grenade rolled along the floor to Clara and she picked it up without thinking.

"Clara, no!" The Doctor yelled as the brunette yelped in pain and dropped the grenade.

The Timelord quickly retrieved it and examined it. He couldn't help the giant grin that spread across his face.

"Ah ha! Big friendly button!" He stated with a laugh.

The Doctor slammed his hand down on the grenade and everything flashed white.

* * *

Lady A: Voila, Chapter Twenty Two: Frozen Burning is complete! Sorry for the lack of detail in the first part. I ended up adding it in rather than summarizing the dialogue. I really wanted to show just how much the Doctor was effected by his Artz burning to death and actually dying for the first time. I hope I did okay with the roller coaster of emotions. Anyways, leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Twenty Three: Remember, Remember! Stay tuned!


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